Zubiri calls for stronger Philippines-UK partnership

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri led a Senate delegation on a visit to the United Kingdom this week.

According to a statement released on Saturday, Zubiri and Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle agreed to build stronger partnerships between the two nations due to shared democratic principles.

Zubiri also emphasized the need to build defense partnerships and trade partnerships with more nations, such as the UK.

“We need stronger parliament-to-parliament cooperation to go along with the robust people-to-people exchanges between the Philippines and the United Kingdom,” Zubiri said.

“We look forward to bringing more UK investors in to help us become a stronger and more competitive force in Southeast Asia,” he added.

He also advocated for better wages and more relaxed requirements for over 40,000 Filipino healthcare workers in the UK.

Zubiri’s meeting with Lord John McFall, the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords focused on defense and security partnerships, as well as cooperation in the peace process.

“We have been able to really reestablish our ties with the UK Parliament, and we now look forward to working with them to see our discussions through and make them concrete through trade agreements, through actual investments, through defense procurement, and through government protections for our OFWs,” said Zubiri. 

Both sides also tackled economic security, science and technology, trade, foreign affairs, and international development in other meetings with several committees and other members of the parliament. 

“And we now look forward to working with them to see our discussions through and make them concrete through trade agreements, through actual investments, through defense procurement, and through government protections for our OFWs,” Zubiri said. 

The Senate delegation includes Zubiri and Senators Grace Poe and Christopher “Bong” Go.

Zubiri’s camp said they were invited by the British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union (BGIPU) to visit the UK.  —VBL, GMA Integrated News