PH, Thailand ink 3 agreements

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, talks to Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha during the agreements signing involving agriculture, education, energy, science and technology at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, March 21, 2017. Duterte is in Thailand for a two-day visit rounding out his nine-country tour of southeast Asia. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

BANGKOK – Three agreements were signed here on Tuesday between the Philippines and Thailand in the fields of science and technology, tourism and agriculture.

President Rodrigo Duterte and Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha witnessed the signing of the agreement after their bilateral talks at the Government House here.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo and Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports Kobkarn Wattanannavrangkul inked the document on “Implementing Program on Tourism Cooperation 2017-2022 between the Department of Tourism of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Kingdom of Thailand.”

Duterte and Prayut, through the agreement, agreed “to explore ways to further enhance tourism cooperation, including identifying specific activities to pursue this such as the promotion of joint tourist destinations.”

In the field of science and technology, Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de la Peña and Thailand’s Science and Technology Minister Atchaka Sibunruang also signed an agreement to boost the two countries’ science and technology sector.

The deal hopes to “promote exchanges of joint academic research and development, scientists and specialists, technical documentation and information, and the arrangement of bilateral conferences among other activities.”

Meanwhile, Philippine Carabao Center Executive Director Arnel Del Barrio and Dir. Gen. Apai Suttisunk of Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives also signed an agreement on the field of agriculture.

The deal was on the “Implementing Arrangement on Specific Areas of Cooperation between the Department of Livestock Development (DLD) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives on the Kingdom of Thailand and the DA – Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) of the Republic of the Philippines on Swamp and Dairy Buffalo Production.”

The Philippines and Thailand “agreed to further promote cooperation and exchange of best practices in irrigation, artificial rain, livestock and fisheries and the application of technology for sustainable soil and water conservation.”

Both countries looked forward to the Philippines hosting the Second Meeting of the Joint Agricultural Working Group in 2019. Bangkok hosted the first meeting in January this year.