ANGARA'S VISIT TO KOREA SEEN TO YIELD INVESTMENTS, SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Senator Edgardo J. Angara's upcoming four-day visit to Korea will further strengthen bilateral economic ties and multifaceted cooperation particularly in the areas of education, trade and investment.

"I look forward to this visit as an important milestone in the relationship between the Philippines and Korea, and I am confident that the trip will give a huge boost to the already strong ties between the two countries and lead to economic prosperity through academic exchanges and investment opportunities," said Angara, who will leave for Korea today.

During Angara's visit, the Sangji University, a private university located in Gangwon Province, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding about a scholarship program for Filipino students who wish to pursue advanced studies in Korea, with special focus on Science and Technology (S&T).

Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, stressed that the need to take advantage of the academic opportunities being offered by Korea. "We must capitalize on long-standing ties and undertake more educational exchanges with Korea."

The fellowship program in Korea is part of the overall thrust of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering (COMSTE) chaired by Angara to create fellowships, scholarships, apprenticeships and training grants in Japan, Taiwan and Korea for Filipinos in highly-specialized S&T fields.

"These countries are very strong in S&T, and have used their technological capacity to rapidly grow their economies. Given the limited absorptive capacity of our universities in handling graduate programs and the dearth of experts in the emerging field of renewable energy, we need to collaborate with technologically-advanced countries to generate new ideas and to complement available local scholarships," he said.

Angara will also meet with several Korean investors and will take part in the 2012 Yeosu Expo, an International Exposition to be held in Yeosu, South Korea which opened May 12, 2012 and will run until August 12, 2012.

The theme of the Expo is "The Living Ocean and Coast" with subthemes of "Preservation and Sustainable Development of the Ocean and Coast," "New Resources Technology," and "Creative Marine Activities". The Yeosu Expo aims to shed light on new knowledge and technological advancements concerning the ocean and coast, and identify ways to reduce threats to it.

"To maximize the potential of our rich marine ecosystem, we must study and try to understand how it works. This expo is a great opportunity to learn about new resources and technologies in marine preservation which we can apply in our country," Angara said.

Angara will also visit to the Seaweed Bioethanol Plant and Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ). Angara seeks to pursue a joint cooperation with IFEZ in developing a Master Plan for the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone (APECO) situated in Casiguran, Aurora Province.

"The Incheon Free Economic Zone serves as an ideal model for contemporary urban planning, having been recognized as one of the world's leading economic zones with top-notch facilities, spectacular landscape, among others. I would like to take this opportunity to partner with them in shaping APECO which presents many opportunities for investments," Angara stressed.