"President Aquino's efforts to rebrand the Philippines, build infrastructure, and combat corruption have led to a surge in business interest," said Council Philippines Chair J.B. Baylon of The Coca-Cola Company. "Our delegation is focused on discussions around increasing bilateral trade and investment flows, and continuing to improve the overall business environment and investment climate here in the Philippines."

In a strong show of government to government support, the delegation was accompanied on their meeting with President Aquino by the Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy Leslie Basset and outgoing Philippinne Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Cuisia. President Aquino was joined by Secretary of Finance Cesar Purisima.

"The growing economies of the ASEAN nations offer fabulous opportunities for American firms," said U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas, Jr. "I am delighted that these well-respected U.S. companies are visiting Manila to discuss ways to expand business opportunities and thereby create jobs and contribute to economic growth and prosperity in the Philippines and the United States," he added.

"This mission marks a continuation of the Council's dialogue with President Aquino and other Philippine officials over the past six months," said Alexander Feldman, President of the US-ASEAN Business Council. "A number of our member companies have announced new or expanded investments in the Philippines recently, and we are eager to continue examining opportunities in infrastructure, energy, ICT, and other sectors created by the PPP process."

The mission delegates also met with Ambassador Robert Orr, U.S. Executive Director of the Asia Development Bank, and members of Sycip, Gorres, Velayo & Co and the Asian Institute of Management. The mission will continue on Thursday with meetings with the Secretary of Energy the Hon. Jose Rene Amendras, Secretary of Health the Hon. Enrique Ona, and members of Amcham and the Makati Business Club.

The mission will conclude on Friday with a trip to the Clark Freeport Zones, where Council members will hold discussions with Benny Ricafort, President and CEO of Clark Development Corp, Armand Areza, Administrator and CEO of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, and Chichos Luciano, President and CEO of the Clark International Airport Corp.

"The Philippines is one of the best environment in Southeast Asia for investment, and the Clark Freeport Zone is an area every company should be aware of," said Dennis Wright of Peregrine. "The area around Clark reminds me of Dulles or Suvarnabhumi 25 years ago. The existing infrastructure in this region puts it in a tremendously strong position to create a dynamic trading hub."

The Business Mission was preceded by an ICT-focused mission led by Council ICT Committee Chair Anjan Ghosh of Intel. The ICT mission carried strong support for harnessing ICT in education, for the creation of a department of ICT, and for creating the right policy environment for ICT investment the Philippines to build a digital structure for the future. The ICT mission met with the Department of Education, Commissioners Monchito Ibrahim and Frank Perez of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology, the National Telecommunications Commission, Director General Ricardo Blancaflor of the Intellectual Property Office, Secretary of Labor Rosalinda Baldoz.The ICT Mission also had excellent lunch discussion with Congressman Sigfrido Tinga, Chair of the House Committee on ICT and Congressman Albert Garcia, Chair of the House Committee on Trade & Industry.

Council members participating in the two missions included The Coca-Cola Company, Peregrine, Intel, Caterpillar, Cisco, FedEx Express, Ford, GE, Google, Hewlett Packard, GlaxoSmithKline, Jhpiego, Microsoft, Monsanto, P&G, Qualcomm, Time Warner, and Unisys.

To request more information or to connect with the delegation during the remainder of their visit in Manila, please contact Anthony Nelson at anelson@usasean.org.

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The US-ASEAN Business Council represents over 100 major U.S. Corporations, ranging from those who have been active in Southeast Asia for over 100 years to newcomers looking to expand their presence in one of the world’s most dynamic markets. The Council’s sectoral working groups, including Customs, Defense & Security, Energy, Financial Services, Food and Agriculture, Health & Life Sciences, Information & Communications Technology, and Infrastructure, bring together the pre-eminent companies in their fields to enable high-level dialogues that help resolve issues and drive innovation and investment. With long-established personal and professional relationships in ASEAN and Washington, the Council is the most effective conduit between decision-makers on both sides of the Pacific.

Learn how we are connecting American business to Southeast Asia at www.usasean.org.

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For Further Information Please contact Anthony Nelson at anelson@usasean.org.