The Filipino-Chinese population may comprise a small portion of the
population, under the Aquino administration but the Philippines began
celebrating the Chinese New Year as a non-working holiday in 2012.
In Proclamation No. 295 issued in November 2011, Aquino said the
declaration of the Chinese New Year as a special non-working holiday
would allow Filipinos and Filipino-Chinese to celebrate the holiday.
It is said that Aquino’s declaration is a nod to his ancestry as the
Cojuangcos – his matriarch’s clan – are themselves Filipino-Chinese.
In his declaration, Aquino said the celebration of Chinese New Year
“is a manifestation of our solidarity with our Chinese-Filipino brethren
who have been part of our lives in many respects as a country and as a
people.”
At present, the Philippines and China are embroiled in a territorial
row over the West Philippine Sea or the South China Sea. Yet, a look at
the latest economic data would reveal the close ties between Manila and
Beijing.
China’s contribution to the economy does not end in trade. Chinese
tourists are also among the country’s top visitors. The Department of
Tourism said Chinese tourists were the fourth largest group of visitors
in the Philippines from January to September in 2013. A total of 327,054
tourists from China came to the country, increasing by 66.08 percent
and the fastest growth among the country’s top markets for tourists.
According to the National Statistics Office, China was the country’s
third largest export market behind Japan and the US, accounting for 12
per cent of the total $4.3 billion export revenues in November .
More significantly China’s share represents a 38.2-per cent growth
over the previous month, the fastest among all trading partners of the
Philippines.
Through such cooperation, both countries will be able to maximize the
benefit from China’s further liberalization minimizing the negative
effects. Some broad areas of possible cooperation are: merchandise and
service trade, tourism, and investment and development cooperation,
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