Philippine envoy sees Qatar as gateway to African, European markets

The Philippines’ top diplomat here has underscored Qatar’s potential as a strategic gateway for Philippine trade expansion into Africa and Europe.
Speaking to Gulf Times on the sidelines of her visit to the Business and Innovation Park of the Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZ) yesterday, Philippine ambassador Lillibeth Pono lauded the incentives Qatar is offering to foreign investors, saying this presents “a lot of opportunities” for partnerships between Philippine and Qatar businesses.
“Qatar can be a hub for the possible distribution of products and services from the Philippines. Qatar could be our gateway to Africa and to other parts of Europe,” Pono pointed out, citing a presentation delivered by QFZ chief markets officer Chong Joon Woon.
During the visit to QFZ, Pono was accompanied by Consul General Cassandra Sawadjaan, Vice Consul Jeffrey Batac, and Political & Economic Assistant & Attache Catherine F Palomo, as well as Business Partners Consulting CEO Jyerex Go Abrasado, Pythos Technology Philippines chairman and CEO Ernest Thomas V Nierras, and Caterina Netti, chief scientist.
The ambassador also emphasised the importance of sharing best practices and knowledge transfer between Qatar and the Philippines, saying this would benefit both economies.
Pono stressed that the Philippines has a very robust Information Technology (IT) sector, which is an area that could be explored further for closer partnership between the Philippines and Qatar.
“The Philippines has superb training for IT professionals. In fact, IT professionals are in-demand worldwide,” the ambassador noted.
The ambassador noted that the medical sector “is also another field that is full of potential for growth and development, as there is a good number of Filipino doctors and nurses working here.”
Abrasado, who organised Pono’s visit to QFZ, stressed that Qatar’s free zones are conducive for expanding business operations, especially for Filipino companies seeking access to international markets.