GOVPH

PCG pushes voter sign-up as registration enters homestretch to September 30

Shanghai, 13 August 2021 – With 48 days or roughly six weeks remaining in the voter registration period, Filipinos in Shanghai and the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Hubei, and Anhui are being urged anew to visit the Consulate General to register for purposes of May 2022 polls, while paying due attention to COVID-19 safety measures and restrictions by local authorities.

The Commission on Elections’ (COMELEC) has prescribed 30 September 2021 as the last day for overseas voters to file applications either for registration, certification as overseas voters, or transfer of registration records from one Philippine foreign service post to another.

The Consulate General reiterated its call to the Filipino public as its three-member team registered today a total of 27 executives and personnel of Qingpu-based Filipino snack food giant Liwayway (China) Co. Ltd. -- maker of the famous Oishi line of snacks -- led by Chairman and CEO Mr. Larry A. Chan. Another 18 were verified to be existing qualified voters. The team was composed of Deputy Consul General Marlowe Miranda and Attachés Ronaldo B. Villanueva and Chris Ian San B. Juan.

“I wasn’t really sure if I was still a registered overseas voter, and so were many Filipino employees of Liwayway,” said Mr. Ronald Yap, a staff member who expressed appreciation for the off-site registration by the Consulate General. “This morning, we shuttled five Filipino employees from our factory in Nanhui (Pudong District) and six from the factory in Taicang  (Jiangsu Province) so they can register,”  he enthused.

A week prior, company Liwayway Executive Vice Chairman Mr. Archie A. Chan and EVP Mr. Walter Angsanto visited the Consulate General to register.

Registration is straightforward, involving the completion of the prescribed COMELEC form, capturing the applicant’s biometric data and the administration of an oath. Registered overseas voters may cast their votes for President, Vice President, Senators and Party-List Representatives for a month-long period from 10 April 2022 until 09 May 2022.

Overseas absentee voting registration will run every day until 30 September during office hours. Applicants are required to bring their original passports as proof of citizenship and identity. Forms are available at the Consulate General. Filipinos visiting to register are requested to wear facemasks and present their Shanghai green health code at the building entrance in accordance with Changning District health regulations currently in effect. END

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To register, applicants must personally appear at:

PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL

Suite 301 Metrobank Plaza

1160 West Yan’An Road, Changning District

Shanghai, China 200052

Requirements: 1) photocopy of valid passport; or 2) if dual citizen, copy of oath of allegiance of proof of Philippine citizenship from the Bureau of Immigration; or 3) if seaman, copy of Seaman’s Book.

For more information, please visit:

Web:                https://comelec.gov.ph

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/overseasvotingph/

Consulate General, Shanghai Mattress Manufacturer bed down investment plans for soft landing in PH

General Manager Erica WANG, Production Director PEI Xuewen, and Sales Director XU Gang were warmly received by Consul General Josel F. Ignacio, Economic Officer Consul Conrado B. Demdem, Jr., and Philippine Trade and Investment Center-Shanghai Director Mario Tani.

The executives briefed the Consulate General on its proposed next steps, including site visits in the Philippines, toward firming up plans. In turn, they received clear technical and practical advice from the Consulate team on procedures, incentives and the support available from the country’s investment promotion agencies for their Philippine venture.

Shanghai, 10 August 2021 – Executives of Shanghai Merriers Household Co. Ltd., a family-owned foam and mattress company, visited the Consulate General today on its projected investment in the Philippines.

Citing the surge in demand enjoyed by its products in the U.S. and European markets, GM Wang affirmed her companies resolve to see its sixth facility through to completion, unhindered by COVID-19.

Consul General Ignacio thanked Shanghai Merriers for its “wise investment decision” and “unequivocal expression of confidence in the Philippines”. The Consulate’s country team assured GM Wang that it would spare no effort in supporting liaison with the competent Philippine agencies towards facilitating this investment.

A family-owned private enterprise dating back to 1992, Shanghai Merriers manufactures bed mattresses and other foam products, including memory foams. In 2020, it exported USD300 million-worth of products to the U.S. and Europe, its principal markets. The proposed Philippine facility will beef up its manufacturing muscle built on four plants in China and one in Thailand.

Shanghai Merriers first manifested its interest in the Philippines in April, when Shanghai Merriers Chairman Mr. LIN Yongquan and GM Wang met with Consul Demdem and Vice Consul Tani at their factory in Jiading, Shanghai. END

Consul General Ignacio meets with Eminent International Affairs Scholar Dr. Yang Jiemian

Consulate, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies talk future exchanges

Shanghai, 5 August 2021 – Consul General Josel F. Ignacio was warmly received today by respected Chinese international relations scholar Dr. YANG Jiemian, President Emeritus of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS), at the Institute’s home in Xuhui District.

The call marks an auspicious and good start for the Consulate General’s drive to engage Shanghai’s leading think tanks and thought leaders.

An esteemed figure in policy circles within and without China, Dr. Yang is, among others, Senior Fellow and Chairman of the SIIS Academic Affairs Council, and Counsellor of Shanghai Municipal People's Government. He holds degrees from the Shanghai Teachers’ University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the Shanghai International Studies University, and sits on the boards of the China National Association for International Studies, Chinese People Institute of Foreign Affairs, National Association of China-U.S. Friendship, Shanghai Association of Taiwan Studies and other organizations.

Notably, Dr. Yang is the brother of the Hon. Yang Jiechi, former Foreign Minister and currently Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee.

Consul General Ignacio and Dr. Yang engaged in a warm, candid and extended exchange of views on various topics of mutual interest. These included sustaining the forward momentum of bilateral ties, advancing the ASEAN-China Dialogue Relationship, COVID-19 cooperation and recovery. Dr. Yang welcomed the Consul General’s mention and cognizance of the constructive role and value of Track Two diplomacy, including think tank and academic linkages, in promoting cooperation and overcoming difficult issues.

A Shanghainese, Dr. Yang also conveyed his interest in fostering closer engagement spanning the full gamut of relations between his home city and the Philippines as well as other ASEAN Member States.

The Consul General confirmed that this dovetailed with the Consulate General’s own thrust and consistent with the Philippines’ track record. He recalled the early manifestation of support for China and Shanghai’s “opening up” by companies such as Liwayway (China) Co. Ltd., Metrobank, and Dai-ichi Electronics Shanghai Co. Ltd., all of which set up shop in the city in the 1990s. He also outlined plans to revitalize Sister City ties between Manila and Shanghai and to proactively to build Philippine economic and people-to-people linkages with the Yangtze River Delta Region.

Consul General Ignacio was accompanied at the call by Deputy Consul General Marlowe A. Miranda and Consul Conrado B. Demdem, Jr. Dr. Yang was backstopped by SIIS Department of International Exchanges Director Mme. Zhu Juhua and Mr. Zhou Shengsheng.

Founded in 1960, the SIIS is a government-affiliated think tank which also advises the Chinese Government on foreign policy and security matters. With over 100 visiting fellows and support staff members and the support of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, the SIIS’ work focuses on countries and regions, as well as thematic issues such as economics, public policy, and international strategic studies. END