Senate adopts resolution establishing Philippines-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Association

The Senate today adopted a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate to promote relations between the Philippines and Israel through the establishment of a Philippines-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Association.

Senator Richard Gordon, who introduced the Senate Resolution 757, said the formation of the Philippines-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Association would pave the way for regular discussions on matters of mutual interest and areas of mutual cooperation between the two nations.

The resolution states that Republic Act 7157, otherwise known as the "Philippine Foreign Service Act of 9991", mandates the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to implement the three pillars of the Philippine Foreign Policy: 1) Preservation and enhancement of national security; 2) Promotion and attainment of economic security; and 3) Protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare and interest of Filipinos overseas.

The resolution said that former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, in a letter dated January 5, 2017, invited the Knesset Parliament to send a delegation to visit the Philippines to promote closer relations between the two countries.

On April 24, 2018 Israel's Knesset Deputy Speaker Nava Boker, by mutual agreement with Gordon, agreed to establish the Philippines-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Association, the resolution added.

As of May 28, 2018, a number of senators have agreed to become members of the Philippines-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Association.

Philippine-Israel relations predate the establishment of the State of Israel. Under the Commonwealth Government by Pres. Manuel L. Quezon, the Philippines established an "open door policy" offering refuge to fleeing Jews from the Holocaust in Europe. Around 1,300 European Jews relocated to Manila and stayed until the Japanese occupation.

The Philippines was one of 33 countries in 1947 to vote in favor of the United Nations Resolution 181 that outlined the partition of Palestine and created the state of Israel.

On August 9, 1957, the Philippines and Israel formally established diplomatic relations. The two nations have over 60 years of diplomatic relations, and forged 17 bilateral agreements in several fields, such as air services, agriculture, tourism, double taxation, posts and telecommunications, customs and logistics, and defense.

"Israel is a developed country known for its high-technology designs and manufactures, and is considered as the start-up nation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even announced that it aspires to be the world's 15th largest economy by 2015," Gordon said.

"Israel's diverse market economy which includes agricultural, service, tourism, high-technology, textiles, and diamond sectors will support the Philippines' fast-growing economy," he added.

According to Gordon, an increasing number of Filipino agriculture students under the Granot Agrostudies, an apprenticeship program that focuses on agriculture capacity building, are now learning new techniques in farming, in Israel. As of December 2017, a total of 3,315 Filipino student-trainees had graduated from the program.

"Strengthened relations between the two nations will promote closer relations between Filipino and Israeli parliamentarians and, at the same time, help sustain the robust bilateral ties and strategic relationship between the two nations," Gordon said. (Yvonne Almirañez)