SBG in France, to help strengthen ties

SENATOR Christopher ‘Bong’ Go, joined his other colleagues in the Upper Chamber for an official parliamentary visit to France with the aim of further strengthening the diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The official Philippine Senate delegation was invited to visit France as part of inter-parliamentary exchanges and on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Philippine-French diplomatic relations.

On Tuesday, October 25, Go and his fellow senators met with Guillaume Kasbarian, a member of the French National Assembly and chair of its Economic Affairs Committee, French Senator Daniel Gremillet, and members of the Atomic Energy Commission. They also attended a meeting with the French-South East Asian Friendship Group, presided by French Senators Mathieu Darnaud and Gisèle Jourda.

Go expressed optimism that the parliamentary visit will pave the way for the two countries to deepen their ties and explore opportunities for greater collaboration, particularly in renewable energy, climate change, economic development and food security, among others.

“It is my sincere desire that during this parliamentary visit, we will be able to identify areas of cooperation that will lead to even closer ties between our two nations,” said Go.

Go, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Health, stated that the visit also serves as an opportunity to personally thank members of the French government for its multi-million COVID-19 vaccine donation to the Philippines through the COVAX Facility at the height of the pandemic, noting that the assistance provided a significant boost to the country’s national vaccination program.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the French government for donating COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines during the height of the pandemic,” said Go.

“Filipinos will forever be grateful to you for this act of kindness, which went a long way toward ensuring the success of our vaccination program and the safety of our citizens against the threat of COVID-19,” he added.

In 2021, at the height of the pandemic, the French government donated millions of doses of coronavirus vaccine to the Philippines to aid in the country’s vaccination efforts, the solon noted further.

The Philippine Senate delegation also visited the French Senate where they received a standing ovation from their French counterparts. “We hope that the excellent rapport between our two Senates will intensify and be at the heart of the flourishing relations between our two countries.

The Philippines is for France a privileged partner in the Indo-Pacific, with which we have the vocation to develop new cooperation projects,” said the official greeting read at the French Senate plenary session last Tuesday. French Senate President, Gérard Larcher, also personally welcomed Go and his fellow senators there.

Also joining the parliamentary visit are Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor Ejercito, and Senators Manuel Lapid, Maria Lourdes Binay, and Grace Poe.