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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL - CALGARY
Suite 100, 1001 1st St SE Calgary, AB, T2G 5G3

Consul General Asuque Calls on Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Home Press Release

14 June 2018, Calgary - The Philippine Consulate General has proposed measures to enhance commercial and cultural exchanges with the City of Calgary during the courtesy call by Consul General Gilberto Asuque on Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi on 13 June 2018.

 

Consul General Asuque, who assumed his post on 1 May 2018, thanked Mayor Nenshi for issuing a Proclamation declaring June 2018 as the Philippine Heritage Month in Calgary. He also thanked the Mayor for allowing the Filipino-Canadian community to have its 120th Philippine Independence Day flag raising ceremony at the ground of the municipal building on 12 June 2108. The officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary, community leaders and members, local government officials and some Members of the Legislative Assembly of Canada attended the event.




Consul General Asuque highlighted the significant contributions of the big population of Filipinos residing in Calgary - more than 70,000 out of the 175,000 Filipinos in the

whole province of Alberta - in the economic, social and cultural development of Calgary.

 

Mayor Nenshi showed familiarity with the Filipino population whom he described as quickly becoming the largest minority group in Calgary.

Consul General Asuque and Mayor Nenshi exchanged ideas on how to expand the economic and cultural relations between Calgary and the Philippines. The Consul General suggested to the Mayor that Calgary may wish to consider establishing links with the ASEAN Smart City Network (ASCN) where Manila, Cebu and Davao City are the pilot smart cities for the Philippines. The Mayor expressed interest in the proposal as an opportunity to share best practices with Calgary's current technology as a smart city.

 

 

 

 

 

The Consul General also suggested a partnership between a Philippine university and a university in Calgary for a program on student and faculty exchange as a way to establish cooperation in the field of education.

Mayor Nenshi replied that more exchanges among Filipino and Calgarian students and universities should be encouraged as part of cultural cooperation.

The Mayor expressed keen interest on film development cooperation, saying that Calgary and its nearby areas, with their varied scenic spots (e.g. mountains, lakes, prairies}, would be ideal for films looking for exotic locations. He said the big Filipino population in the city could be tapped to work for any Philippine film project taking place in the city. The Consul General informed the Mayor that the Philippines-Canada Audio-Visual Co-Production Agreement that was signed in 1998 could be used to encourage more cooperation in the film industry. Mayor Nenshi said that Calgary offers digital tax credit to film producers which Philippine film production companies could avail should there be co-production ventures.

 

The Consul General and the Mayor also discussed measures to enhance trade and investment such as visits of economic missions including representatives from the oil and gas industry.