The parliamentary visit of the Filipino Senate delegation in Paris is an open opportunity for the Philippines and France to deepen and strengthen their bilateral relations, Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go said Wednesday.

Go, with other Filipino senators, met with their counterparts in France — including French National Assembly and Economic Affairs Committee chair Guillaume Kasbarian, French Senator Daniel Gremillet, and members of the Atomic Energy Commission — on 25 October (Paris time) to discuss further improvement of bilateral ties between the Philippines and the European country.

This is part of the inter-parliamentary exchanges between both countries — which also coincides with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Philippine-French diplomatic relations.

The delegation also attended the French-South East Asian Friendship Group meeting presided over by French Senators Mathieu Darnaud and Gisèle Jourda.

Go said the parliamentary visit will pave the way to further exploration of opportunities for greater collaboration, particularly in terms of 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," he said.

Go, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Health, said the visit can be an avenue to thank the French government for its crucial contributions to the Philippines amid the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic.

France was among the European countries that actively donated millions of Covid-19 jabs to Filipinos through the COVAX facility at the height of the global health crisis.

The senator underscored that France's assistance has greatly helped the Philippines to further boost its national Covid-19 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," Go said. "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."

New cooperation opportunities

Go is also optimistic that the parliamentary visit will help enhance the country's crafting of legislation designed to safeguard more Filipinos against the impact of global climate change.
"Because of (the Philippines') geographical location in the Pacific, the country is battered by an average of 20 typhoons a year, resulting in significant casualties and increasing damage to property," he said.

During the 19th Congress, Go reiterated the need for the country to establish a Department of Disaster Resilience — seeking unified risk mitigation and rehabilitation efforts during calamities and emergencies.

Meanwhile, Go said the Philippines is committed to further flourishing and nurturing its bilateral ties with France.

"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," he said.

Among other Filipino legislators who joined 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.