Pinky's Uncle Says S'pore Is "Home Away From Home" For Pinoys

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

Source: Say "No" to an overpopulated Singapore



To all those who voted for him, take a good look at this and ask yourself: Are you happy now??
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CNA: President Tony Tan Keng Yam, who is on a four-day state visit to the Philippines, highlighted the role that Singaporeans and Filipinos play when they visit, work, or live in their host country.

The bilateral relationship between Singapore and the Philippines is underpinned by strong people-to-people ties, said President Tony Tan Keng Yam.

President Tan, who is on a four-day state visit to the Philippines, highlighted the role that Singaporeans and Filipinos play when they visit, work, or live in their host country.

It has been 10 years since President Tan made an official visit to the Philippines.

He was greeted at the Malacanang Palace in Manila on Thursday with an official welcoming ceremony, before calling on President Benigno Aquino.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Addressing the media, President Tan said bilateral relations between Singapore and the Philippines are underpinned by strong people-to-people ties.

There are about 180,000 Filipinos in Singapore.

President Tan said: "Many Filipinos visit, work and live in Singapore. Singapore has become a "home away from home" for them and they are an integral part of our society. There are also many Singaporeans seeking economic opportunities in the Philippines."

President Aquino said the increased presence of Philippine and Singapore companies in both countries is encouraging, and bodes well for the future.

Both leaders also discussed cooperation in areas like infrastructure and construction.

President Aquino also proposed holding a defence dialogue with Singapore to further strengthen co-operation between both countries.

"President Tan and I also discussed our countries' defence and security cooperation, which includes high-level training, educational, and intelligence exchanges. I believe that strengthening defence and security cooperation between the Philippines and Singapore is key to maintaining regional stability," he said.

President Tan was hosted to a state luncheon at the palace.

During his speech, President Aquino thanked Singapore for its assistance in the wake of Super Typhoon Haiyan.

He noted that Singapore was one of the first countries to provide assistance after the typhoon hit.

The rebuilding efforts in areas affected by the typhoon continue.

In the next few days, President Tan will hand over contributions from Singapore to partners and projects involved in rehabilitation efforts.

He will also visit a hospital in an area affected by the typhoon.

On the regional level, President Tan stressed that Singapore and the Philippines also share an interest in building a strong and united ASEAN community.

He said the strategic imperatives have remained unchanged... even though the landscape has evolved, since the time both countries were founding members of ASEAN.

And this makes the task of achieving an ASEAN Community in 2015 all the more urgent.

President Tan said Singapore looks forward to working closely with the Philippines to advance the common regional interests of both countries.

President Aquino added that the visit also serves as an opportunity to explore areas of cooperation that will allow both countries to realise the full potential of their partnership on both the bilateral and ASEAN level.

Later in the day, President Tan toured the historic Fort Santiago in Manila.

Built by the Spanish during colonial times, it now serves as a memorial to Filipinos and Americans who died during World War Two.

In the evening, President Tan met with the Singapore community in the Philippines.

He stressed that a small country like Singapore counts on its citizens abroad to strengthen relations with other countries.

And this is the role the some 300 Singaporeans in the Philippines can play.

President Tan also took the opportunity to remind them of home.

"Notwithstanding the delectable cuisine in the Philippines, I am sure there are moments when you crave for a plate of 'char kway teow' or a cup of 'teh-c' at a kopitiam. While you are away from home, I encourage you to remain connected to Singapore, and keep abreast of news and developments. You are and will always remain an integral part of the Singapore family," he said.

Mr Alan Chng, president of the Singapore Philippines Association, and president and CEO of Canon Marketing, said: "I can see a huge potential in the Philippines. Every sector is growing -- tourism is growing, manufacturing is growing. I think the electronics sector is very fast growing as well, and the Business Processing Organisations (BPOs), I think there's a huge influx. I think the growth is exponential.

"If you look at all the ASEAN countries, places like Indonesia, they are also seeing huge growth. The advantage in Philippines is the people, they are English speaking, they are very helpful, always willing to learn, very hungry and it's very easy to train them because of the language."

- CNA/de

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