PH trade delegation looks for partners in Ontario

Cora dela Cruz, of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, sets out the schedule, while Steve Pagao, President of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto and Senator Enverga listen. INQUIRER/ Marisa Roque

TORONTO, Ontario — Filipino businesses seeking compatible matches in Ontario find that possibilities abound to make beautiful profits together.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce -Toronto linked up with the Office of the Philippine Consulate in Toronto to host delegates representing Filipino businesses that focus on agribusiness, food and related industries.

The delegation, the 4th Outbound Trade Mission to Canada organized by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (CanCham), spent eight days (October 16-23) in Toronto, Guelph and Niagara to identify and explore possible business partnerships between Canadian and Philippine companies.

Steve Naylor traces the development of fish culture in Ontario within the last 50 years. INQUIRER/ Marisa Roque

Senator Tobias Enverga Jr. welcomed the delegates and assured them of full cooperation.  He called the Filipino business people Canada’s partners on global issues.

Steve Naylor, aquaculture and aquaponics specialist from Ontario’s Ministry of Aquaculture spoke of the province’s strong aquaculture and environmental policy.  He gave the delegates a preview of what was in store for them when they visit Guelph University Aquaculture Center and Alma Aquaculture Research Station.

Consul General Rosalita Prospero told the group that there was a lot of room to accelerate trade and investments between the Philippines and Ontario.

A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed by Cora dela Cruz, national executive director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines and Paul Tesseyman, president of the Canada-Philippine Business Council.

Cora dela Cruz and Paul Tesseyman sign the Memorandum of Cooperation. INQUIRER/ Marisa Roque

These were the Filipino companies that joined the trade mission:

•  AIMI Trading Corporation — import/export, buying/selling distribution, marketing by wholesale and retail all kinds of goods, commodities, wares, and merchandise, also looking for products and services that can be franchised or exclusively distributed (Contact Atty. Fernando Ortigoza III, [email protected], www.aimitrading.com);

•  ANM Ventures Inc. — real estate development and investments, interested in partnering for agribusiness, aquafarming and related technologies (Contact Flora Naces-Mateo and Angel Mateo Jr., [email protected]);

•  JT Engineering and Associates — provides professional project management services, seeks to partner with companies interested in investing in the Philippines in agritechnology, renewable energy, and infrastructure (Contact Jessie Torres, [email protected]);

•  KCD Builders Corporation — involved in design-build construction projects, completed projects include schools, hospitals, residential subdivisions, major manufacturing plants.  Looking for potential business partners and investors and interested in exploring other business opportunities to bring back to the Philippines (Contact Celso Dioko, [email protected], www.kcdbuilderscorp.com);

The 4th Outbound Philippine Trade Mission to Canada. INQUIRER/ Marisa Roque

• KCD Technical Institute Inc.–a fully registered TESDA private vocational and training school looking for partnerships with other educational institutions in Canada similar to their partnership and accreditation obtained from the Canadian Welding Bureau last year.  The company is looking for programs and curricula they can offer in aquafarming to add to their already existing skills offerings (Contact Teofila Dioko, [email protected]);
• Seabest Food and Beverage Corporation– a subsidiary of RDEX Corporation, a multifaceted company involved in different industries.  They are a major exporter of tuna and salmon, and also involved in tropical fruit processing.  Company wants to discuss import and export possibilities with major North American retail supermarket chains (Contact Mylene Vicente, [email protected], www.rdexfoodph.com); and

•  Winner Dioko Farms Corporation– involved in research and development of new farm and agricultural products.  Now an accredited ecofarm and tourism facility by the Department of Tourism, showcasing modern methods of mushroom production, organic and hydroponic farming, livestock, poultry, hybrid swine production, etc.  Seeking modern technology for use in multiagri-vegetables/fruit products.  Also looking for opportunities in aquafarming so as to be able to offer basic training programs toward sustainable businesses for farmers (Contact Virgilio Dioko, [email protected]).