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Arroyo welcomes Papua New Guinea prime minister


MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo welcomed visiting Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare on Boracay Island Sunday afternoon to kick off his four-day official visit to the Philippines. A Malacañang statement said Somare, accompanied by a lean delegation, landed at around 3:20 p.m. at the Caticlan Airport. Receiving him were Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Gen. Alexander Yano who led the military honors for him. Mrs. Arroyo received Somare at 5:30 p.m. at the Shangri-la Hotel and Beach Resort where a state dinner would be tendered in his honor. Somare, 73, is Papua New Guinea's longest serving prime minister. His visit aims to further strengthen and sustain the partnership between the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. A report on Visayas-based Bombo Radyo said Somare praised Filipinos for their hospitality. On Monday, morning, Mr. Somare and Mrs. Arroyo will hold bilateral talks and witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on fisheries cooperation. After his two-day stay in Boracay Island, Somare is scheduled to visit the Technical Educational and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in Taguig City; the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños, Laguna; and the San Agustin Museum in Intramuros, Manila. Papua New Guinea, a country rich in natural resources, hosts approximately 15,000 Filipinos holding such diverse jobs as engineers, IT technicians, medical practitioners, aircraft engineers, accountants, supervisors and managers, farm hands, fishermen, and construction laborers. The fishing industry of Papua New Guinea is dominated by Filipino companies whose assets and earnings are in the hundred of millions of dollars. Papua New Guinea and the Philippines established diplomatic relations on Sept. 16, 1975, coinciding with Papua New Guinea's independence from Australia. Before the establishment of diplomatic relations, the Philippines opened a consulate in Port Moresby in July 1972, which was upgraded to a consulate general in 1975 and elevated to an embassy in 1976. The first Philippine visitors to PNG arrived in the 1880s when 14 Filipino lay missionaries accompanied European priests to Papua New Guinea to teach catechism in an effort to evangelize the country. - GMANews.TV
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