President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday received Papua New Guinean (PNG) Ambassador to the Philippines Betty Palaso in a farewell call in Malacañang, expressing his gratitude for her work in strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries.
“This is one of those duties that are bittersweet because we say goodbye to friends. You have stayed in the Philippines in relatively long [period] ambassador, five years,” President Marcos told Palaso during the Palace call.
The President said he expects Palaso’s successor to continue working on various areas of cooperation, particularly trade, agriculture, and fisheries.
Palaso presented her Letter of Credence on March 19, 2019, as PNG’s ambassador to the Philippines. Prior to her appointment, Palaso served as Commissioner General of the PNG Internal Revenue Commission from 2007 to 2018.
In 1975, the Philippines was among the first countries to establish formal diplomatic relations with PNG, which was declared and recognized as a sovereign nation on September 16, 1975, after 70 years of Australian administration.
Next year, the two nations will mark the 50th anniversary of their bilateral relations.
In terms of partnership, the Philippines and PNG have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Fisheries Cooperation. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) requested the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) final inputs and comments last February for the renewal of the MOU on Fisheries Cooperation.
BFAR has been negotiating the draft MOU since 2022. The MOU, which expired on February 1, does not provide for its automatic extension upon expiration.
There are four major Philippine distant-water fishing companies operating in PNG waters, namely Frabelle Fishing Corp., RD Fishing Group (with six subsidiary fishing companies), TSP Marine Industries, and Trans-Pacific Journey Fishing Corp. PND
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