Eight Philippine senators led by Senate President Migz Zubiri left the country on Tuesday to meet their counterparts in France in a bid to further strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries.
Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda considers the meeting an opportune time for the senators to assess our country’s strong ties with the French Republic. She said they will discuss how they can foster friendship and cooperation, especially on areas that concern both the Philippines and France.
“Deliberating on the issues is timely and significant as these are connected to climate change, which remains a top global concern,” Legarda said, adding that “our visit to France is a chance for the Philippines to convey our vision, plans, and involvement in addressing global challenges.”
Legarda added that the Philippines “fully recognizes France’s steady allegiance to be a global leader in addressing the issue, and we are fully committed to supporting the Paris Agreement.”
The Paris Agreement also referred to as the Paris Climate Accord, is an international climate change treaty adopted in 2015 by members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
In 2017, Legarda, who chaired the Subcommittee on the Paris Agreement under the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, sponsored the Philippines’ concurrence in ratifying the agreement.
Aside from this, she also leads the Philippines into assenting to the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People after United States Senator Russell Feingold sought her guidance and leadership in bringing the Philippines to the HAC, an agreement started by France, among other nations.
“These are just some of the issues we intend to bring to the table during our meetings. The Philippines and France enjoy 75 years of fruitful and vibrant friendship and cooperation in various areas such as economy, defense, food security, and people-to-people relations, and these, too, are part of our agenda,” Legarda said.
“It is an honor to be part of the Philippine delegation once again, and I look forward to making our bilateral ties with France stronger,” she concluded.
The Philippine delegation is also meeting with the France-Southeast Asia Parliamentary Friendship Group led by its president, Senator Mathieu Darnaud.
Its Philippine counterpart, the Philippines-France Parliamentary Friendship Association is led by Legarda, its founder, and president.
Joining Legarda and Zubiri in the visit are Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor Ejercito, and Senators Manuel Lapid, Maria Lourdes Binay, Grace Poe, and Christopher Lawrence Go.
