M
uchas gracias por vuestras amables palabras de bienvenida y por la tradicional hospitalidad con que me acogen en este tercer viaje de Cooperación que realizo a Filipinas.
¡Me siento verdaderamente en casa! (Para akong nasa sarili kong tahanan!).
The Crown, the Government and the people of Spain see the Philippines not only as a sister country with whom we share many historical, social and cultural links because of our common past, but also as a key partner in Asia to whose development we are fully committed.
The Philippines has been and will always be a priority country for the Spanish Cooperation for Development. We will also stand by the Filipino people to overcome the frequent natural disasters that the country suffers, just like the case of typhoon?Sendong? last December.
Mr. President, I cannot but praise your determination and that of your Government to get the millions of Filipinos out of poverty and your commitment to transparency, good governance and accountability. You can count on the Spanish Cooperation in your endeavour.
The purpose of my visit is to check the results obtained in the field and the projects carried out by the Spanish Cooperation in the past years, making us the main European Donor.
The Spanish Cooperation along with Philippine Institutions and Organizations, volunteers and Spanish Aid Workers and Multilateral Organizations, has done a lot in wide-ranging fields of aid such as governance, Peace Process, health, disaster prevention, and fight against climate change, etc.
I wish to emphasize the support we give to the Educational Sector, and particularly the efforts of the Department of Education, for successfully making into reality the reintroduction of the Spanish language in the public educational system, not only because it is part of the cultural heritage of the Philippines but also because it opens up opportunities to secure the well-being of future generations of Filipinos in a globalized world.
Since the time of the Galleon of Manila, the Spanish language arrived in the Philippines as a promising tool for work and development for the Filipino people.
Permítame antes de concluir referirme al Día de la Amistad Hispano-Filipina, en el que acaban de celebrar hace tres días su décimo aniversario, y que este año ha centrado sus actividades en torno a la Constitución de Cádiz de 1812 y su influencia en la Constitución de Malolos, primera Constitución filipina.
El bicentenario de la Constitución de Cádiz, en la que participaron representantes filipinos, nos recuerda no sólo los profundos lazos que unen a España y a Filipinas, sino también a Filipinas con el resto de Iberoamérica, como demuestra su status de observador en las Cumbres Iberoamericanas.
Again, thank you for your hospitality, let me toast to your personal as well as your family?s happiness and the prosperity of the beloved Filipino nation.
¡Mabuhay Filipinas! (Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!)