[As Prepared]

[Greetings]

I am delighted to be here in Puerto Princesa City, this being my first trip to the city and to the province of Palawan. I represent the United States Agency for International Development, commonly known as USAID. USAID is the lead the U.S. government agency for international development and disaster assistance. USAID promotes and demonstrates democratic values abroad, and advances a free, peaceful and prosperous world. I bring you the greetings of the U.S. Ambassador, the Honorable Sung Kim.

I was told that Palawan, for the past years, has been ranked as one of the top three best islands in the world. With my visit this week, I am looking forward to experiencing the natural beauty of Palawan and of course, it's warm people.

Puerto Princesa City has been a steadfast partner of USAID through the years, under our Cities Development Initiative, or CDI. Under CDI, USAID partners with cities outside Metro Manila to realize their potential as engines of inclusive economic growth. CDI is an important component of the partnership between our two governments that seeks to advance and sustain inclusive and resilient growth. We believe that through our collaboration, your progressive city will become the gateway to the Southern Luzon region, bettering the quality of life not only for the city, but for the region.

The province of Palawan, likewise, has a long-standing partnership with the U.S. government. For years, USAID has worked with the province on projects supporting environmental protection, energy, economic growth, education, health and governance.

Today’s summit is an important endeavor in pursuing the sustainable development and growth of the local seaweed industry.

Palawan is the country’s top seaweed producing province. Asignificant volume of raw, dried seaweed is channeled through Puerto Princesa City to reach processing plants in Cebu and Manila.

USAID has helped strengthen Palawan’s seaweed industry to meet the local and global demand for carrageenan, an important raw material in a number of industries, including pharmaceutical, dairy and cosmetics. The industry helps coastal communities by generating more income for farmers. To date, our work has generated additional income for more than 1,000 seaweed farmers, helping them to become more self-reliant.

Despite the large volumes of seaweed produced, I understand that continuing to improve the quality can boost its value and increase profits for seaweed growers.

To do this, the sector needs to expand support services for growers, to intensify research and development, and to establish viable linkages with markets and partners.

To stimulate the growth of the seaweed industry and foster connectivity in Puerto Princesa and other localities in Palawan, USAID, through its Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity, or SURGE Project, teamed up with the city government to establish the Puerto Princesa-Palawan Seaweed Network, composed of seaweed growers, traders, consolidators, processors and support institutions. Recently, we helped forge the partnership between this network and the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines to bring greater opportunities for Palawan seaweed growers and help bolster the local economy.

This two-day summit is an opportunity to take a closer look at the local seaweed industry and to learn about new market opportunities and best practices in seaweed production. This is also an opportunity to get to know the agencies and programs that can help you improve your production and marketing. We hope that at the end of the summit, we will be encouraged and equipped with practical action points that will boost the local seaweed industry.

I wish to thank our partners who made this summit possible — the Puerto Princesa City government and the Department of Agriculture Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

Let me also acknowledge the other national agencies who are represented here today: the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Science and Technology, the Palawan State University, the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines and our partners from the private sector. Most importantly, I’d like to acknowledge the most important players in the industry, the local seaweed growers and associations.

There are many challenges ahead, but our close collaboration and your hard work will surely pave the way to achieve our shared goal. The U.S. government remains a committed partner of the Philippine government and the private sector in advancing inclusive economic growth in Puerto Princesa City and the region, moving us closer to our vision of a more stable and prosperous Philippines.

Maraming salamat at magandang umaga!