CEBU CITY – New Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Rafael Harpaz met with Cebuano business leaders and discussed ways to boost economic cooperation between the two countries.
“I’m here in Cebu to further strengthen our economic relations with the Philippines,” Harpaz told reporters during his recent visit here where he met with members of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Harpaz, accompanied by his wife, Shulamit, and honorary consul Emily Chioson, said Cebu has also become a favorite tourist destination among Israelis, adding, more tour operators in Israel are promoting packaged holiday trips to the province. “The Philippines is easy to sell in Israel. This is why we encouraged the Philippine Airlines to open direct flights to Tel Aviv from Manila and vice versa,” he said.
He said these direct flights translate to economic growth for both countries through tourism because these would bring more Filipino pilgrims to the Holy Land and Israeli tourists to the beautiful islands of the Philippines.
More joint business ventures between Israel and the Philippines could also be forged with the opening of the direct Manila-Tel Aviv flights, he said.
Harpaz said the Israelis owe the Filipinos a great deal as the Philippines did not only open its doors for the more than a thousand Jews during the Holocaust, but was also the only Asian country to vote for the independence of Israel in the 1947 United Nations General Assembly.
Harpaz also met with Governor Hilario Davide III, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, and Mandaue City Mayor Luigi Quisumbing.( Luel Galarpe)
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