Berlin. 23 October 2012. An information session on the Philippines as a business location for the German enterprises took place at the PricewaterhouseCoopers conference center in Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, on 28 September 2012.

 

The economic event was co-sponsored by the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, the ZukunftsAgentur Brandenburg, PricewaterhouseCoopers AG, the media publication ASEAN Today and the German Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI).

 

Thirty eight German business entrepreneurs, traders, consultants and representatives from government institutions listened to presentations on the Philippines as a prime business and investment location in Asia.

 

Philippine Ambassador to Germany Maria Cleofe Natividad noted in her welcome remarks that the Philippines to date is one of the strongest-performing economies in Asia, and that the country’s growth forecast is between 5 to 6% in 2012.

Dr. Lilia de Lima, Director General of the Philippine Economic zone Authority, delivered the key note presentation on opportunities for foreign investors in Philippine economic zones. Dr. de Lima also gave a presentation in Stuttgart on 27 September 2012 at an investment forum sponsored by GPCCI and Wirtschaftsrat Deutschland. In her presentation, Dr. de Lima noted that there are currently 281 companies operating in PEZA that are from EU countries, and 36 of these firms are German companies that specialize in the areas of air transport, electronics, garments and manufacturing.

The guests also heard the presentations of Mr. Jose Antonio Buencamino, Commercial Counselor of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, who provided an overview of the Philippine business climate and investment opportunities, as well as Mr. Alexander Lehnen, Senior Manager of PricewaterhouseCoopers AG, who delivered a presentation on tax structuring of German investments in the Philippines.

Two German businessmen based in the Philippines and active officials of the GPCCI – Mr. Gerald Frielinghaus, President and CEO of Lufthansa Technik Philippines and Mr. Claus Sudhoff, President and CEO of CS Garments – also shared their extensive experiences in the country and why they have chosen the Philippines for their operations and not other countries in Asia.

However, the Department of Trade and Industry has announced that it will end its trade and investment representation in Germany by year’s end. This will mean the closure of its Berlin office and the transfer of its Commercial Counselor to another post. Members of the German business community in Manila and other prospective German investors have expressed serious concern saying that the closure would impact negatively on the renewed German interest to do business in the Philippines.

As the Philippines receives greater attention from foreign investors, Director General De Lima and Ambassador Natividad agreed that this is not the time to be absent from the scene. Rating agencies such as Standard & Poor, Fitch and global financial institutions such as Credit Suisse, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank gave positive growth forecasts for the Philippines, at a time when most economies in Europe and Asia face slower growth prospects. It is believed that once the Fraport issue is resolved, the floodgates of heightened investment flows from Germany will literally be opened and in the process generate more jobs and export earnings for the country. (END)

Berlin. 4 October 2012. Founder and CEO of German solar system integrator and project developer Mp-tec GmbH & Co KG, Michael Preißel, announced yesterday the company’s intention to invest in the Philippines, as part of the long-term plans to expand in the international market.

The message was conveyed to First Secretary Adrian Cruz and PTIC Commercial Counselor Jose Antonio Buencamino, during their visit to Mp-tec’s headquarters in Eberswalde, just 50 kilometers from Berlin, Germany, on 25 September 2012.

Following a brief presentation of the company’s profile and global trade partners, the Philippine embassy officials were toured around the company’s production site by Mp-tec Director for International Sales Dr. Patrik Fischer where a demo-installation of a photovoltaic tracking system and the refueling station of an electric car, including a solar carport, were presented.

In his visit to Manila in May, 2012, Mr. Preißel observed the Philippines’ “European-friendly” tendencies and regarded the country as geographically well-positioned to serve as Mp-tec platform for the Asian market. He is optimistic about the Philippine market as he notes the tremendous potential and opportunities of renewable energy (RE) in providing win-win solutions to the country’s energy demand and consumption. He is confident in establishing links with the various stakeholders (i.e., developers, local communities, and national government) as they forge partnerships with Mp-tec in the technical field and in joint venture arrangement especially in difficult and remote off-grid locations.

Mr. Preißel identified Solarus Partners and SunAsia Energy as Mp-tec’s strategic partners in the Philippines. He sees positive outcomes from the synergy of the companies, where each entity shares the talents, and financial resources which will guarantee good yield and performance from the sun.

Mp-tec is a solar company specializing in the development and manufacture of application-oriented, premium solar power, solar heat and assembly systems. It is considered a pioneer of the industry and is one of the leaders in the development and manufacture of photovoltaic, solar power and assembly systems in Germany.

The company is a member of the prestigious Solar Region Berlin-Brandenburg Association and received numerous awards for a number of cutting-edge products, which include the DEKRA-certified Quick-Line assembly system and the “skytrap plus” hemispherical tracking system. (END)

Berlin. 29 June 2012.

The GIZ, or the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit, conducted on 28 June 2012 a one-day workshop on “Energy from Biomass and Biogas in the Philippines“.

The workshop sought to familiarize German renewable energy companies on the challenges and opportunities in the biogas and biomass industry of the Philippines. Twenty five entrepreneurs and consultants from the German biogas, biomass, and biofuel sectors attended the workshop to listen to market entry conditions and project opportunities in the Philippines.

Speakers from the Philippines included Mr. Albert Dalusung, Vice President of the Biomass Renewable Energy Alliance, who shared information on potential cooperation partners and current bioenergy projects in the Philippines. Mr. Dalusung informed German investors that local governments are particularly supportive of biogas / solid biomass electricity generation, especially in municipalities where there are abundant biomass feedstock and animal waste for biogas.

The other speaker was Mr. Paul Thomas Puthenpurekal, President and COO of Solutions Using Renewable Energy (SURE) Inc., who shared his experiences on how biogas projects are managed in the Philippines, as well as the demand for biomass/biogas technology in the country. His company, SURE Inc., has vast experience as a renewable power project developer in Southeast Asia.

Though the Philippines remains highly dependent on fossil fuels for its energy supply, there is now a growing local interest to pursue renewable sources of energy not just as a sustainable energy alternative, but also as a potential source for job creation in the Philippine countryside. In the area of bioenergy, there are very good opportunities to build business partnerships between foreign and local partners in the Philippines that cover the entire value chain for the production and distribution of energy from biogas and biomass.

The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and its operational arm, the GIZ, has been working closely with local agencies and the private sector in promoting development cooperation in the Philippines.

The GIZ operates on behalf of the BMWi, as well as other German ministries such as the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, in developing markets and in setting up structures and developing capacity for good governance with partner countries such as the Philippines.

The Philippine Embassy in Berlin has been working closely with the GIZ and concerned federal ministries, as well as with the European Chamber of Commerce of the Phiilppines and the German-Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. in pursuing business matching opportunities as well as to ensure that the Biomass Renewable Energy Alliance and other Philippine-based company representatives are able to learn more about German products and services, and the overall energy policy environment in Germany. (END)