Canadian Companies Conclude New Deals With Filipino Business Delegation

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and President Fidel V. Ramos of the Philippines today witnessed the signing of 26 new business agreements worth $1.969 billion.

"The strategic business partnerships formed here today mean more opportunities and jobs for both Canadians and Filipinos," said the Prime Minister. "By establishing agreements that facilitate bilateral trade, Canada and the Philippines are setting an example of the benefits of international trade and cooperation."

President Ramos is leading a delegation of senior ministers and businesspeople to Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Winnipeg from November 27 to 30. The business delegation includes representatives from a variety of sectors including telecommunications, construction, food, transportation and financial institutions.

"The fact that Mr. Ramos is leading a trade delegation to Canada so soon after the January 1997 Team Canada trade mission to the Philippines clearly demonstrates the impression left by our successful mission and the great enthusiasm to expand trade between our nations," said the Prime Minister. "Looking at this dedicated group of visiting entrepreneurs, who have travelled so many miles to be here today, it is easy to see why the Philippines is one of the most dynamic economies in Asia."

Details of the deals signed today in Ottawa are in the attached backgrounder.

PMO Press Office: (613) 957-5555

AFCAN Inc., Montreal, Quebec & Primetown Property Group, Manila
AFCAN Inc., which specializes in the design and construction of hospitals throughout the world and employs 10 people, has signed a Project Development Agreement with Primetown Property Group of Manila, to jointly design, construct, outfit and manage an Ambulatory Care Centre in the National Capital Region of Mandalugang. The two companies have been working together for one year, and estimate that the project will be functional by early 1998. The project is valued at $61.65 million.

AXOR International, Inc., Montreal, Quebec & Carlos A. Gothong & Company, Inc.
AXOR International Inc., a subsidiary of Le Groupe Axor Inc., a major Canadian energy, building and infrastructure-development company that employs 250 people, has signed a Project Development Agreement with Carlos A. Gothong & Company of Cebu, to jointly design, finance, build, own and operate water supply facilities and associated transportation pipeline networks in Metropolitan Cebu. The project is valued at $200 million.

AXOR International, Inc., Montreal, Quebec
AXOR International of Montreal, Quebec will sign a Project Development Agreement with its partner Carlos A. Gothong Company of Cebu to form a consortium in preparing a joint proposal for the operation and ownership of the Metro Cebu Water District to be submitted to MCWD during the upcoming privatization process.

Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, Toronto, Ontario & AMA Education Systems Group
The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM), Canada's only accredited post- graduate training institution for naturopathic doctors, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AMA Education Systems Group, to establish a school of naturopathic medicine in the Philippines. This joint venture will cost approximately $20 million.

Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto, Ontario
The Canadian National Exhibition has signed an agreement with the Department of Tourism of the Republic of the Philippines for the Philippines to be the featured country at the Exposition in 1998.

CanAsian Businesswomen's Network, Vancouver, British Columbia & Asia Pacific Foundation, Vancouver, British Columbia & Women's Business Council, Philippines
The CanAsian Businesswomen's Network, a group that supports and strengthens women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Southeast Asia and Canada, and the Asia Pacific Foundation, a national non-profit organization conceived both to promote Canadian business interests in the region and to give Canadians a better understanding of the Pacific Rim, have signed an MOU with the Women's Business Council of the Philippines to undertake specific activities to enhance and strengthen the skills, capacity, economic success and overseas relationships of women entrepreneurs in both countries.

Cree Construction and Development Company Ltd., Montreal, Quebec & the Tribal Communities Association of the Philippines, Quezon City & Institute of Cultural Research and Resource Development
Cree Construction Company Ltd., which specializes in construction and development and employs 25 people, has signed a Letter of Intent with the Tribal Communities Association of the Philippines (TRICAP), in conjunction with the Institute for Cultural Research and Resource Development to undertake a chromite mining and quarry operation in Davao Oriental. Cree Construction has been working with TRICAP through "native people helping other native people." The project is valued at $1.5 million.

Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia & the Commission on Higher Education, Republic of the Philippines
Dalhousie University has signed an implementing protocol on co-operation in maritime education, marine sciences education, and international development studies with the Filipino Commission on Higher Education.

Department of Education of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador & the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
The Department of Education of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has signed an MOU with the Filipino Commission on Higher Education (CHED) that provides a basic framework for cooperation between the two bodies. The Filipino CHED also signed an Implementing Protocol with Memorial University of Newfoundland for the purpose of developing institutional links, sharing information on educational assessment, promoting faculty/staff and student exchanges, and comparing higher-education systems.

Department of Education, Province of Nova Scotia & the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
The Department of Education of the Province of Nova Scotia has signed an MOU with the Filipino Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to encourage the development of open and distance learning programs in the following areas: human-resource management; health-care communication; health informatics; continuing education in medicine; and nursing and nutrition. This agreement also proposes the establishment of a Telemedicine Centre at the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), the development of information technology and other educational technologies to support distance education activities, and the development of a "University in the Workplace" concept.

Dominion Bridge Inc., Lachine Quebec & Tribal Communities Association of the Philippines
Dominion Bridge Inc., which specializes in metal structures and employs 300 people, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Tribal Communities Association of the Philippines (TRICAP) in co-operation with the Higgaonot Development Corporation of Agusan Sur to design, procure and construct a medium-density fibreboard plant in Esperanza Agusan Sur. This project is valued at $12 million.

ECO Process and Equipment Inc., Terrebonne, Quebec & D. M. Consunji Inc. & the Rockwell Land Corporation, Makati
ECO Process and Equipment Inc., which specializes in industrial and domestic waste-water treatment and employs 40 people, has signed an MOU with D.M. Consunji Inc. and the Rockwell Land Corporation for technology transfer and the creation of a waste-water treatment plant for the Rockwell Information Centre along the Pasig River in the Philippines. The project is valued at $4 million.

Fenway Resources Ltd., Vancouver, British Columbia & Central Palawan Mining & Industrial Corporation, Manila & DCL Management International Inc., Manila
Fenway Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, which specializes in cement production and employs seven people, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Central Palawan Mining and Industrial Corporation and DCL Management International Inc. of Manila. The companies propose to develop an integrated cement plant complex in Palawan, the Philippines. The project is valued at $548 million.

Hunter Farms Ltd., Brooklin, Ontario & Ben Cordero Lim and Associates & Marindique Development Corporation
Hunter Farms Ltd., which breeds exotic animals and employs 17 people, has signed an MOU with Ben Cordero Lim and Associates of Torrijos and the Marindique Development Corporation to supply ostriches and/or emus to the Philippines, and to help with the production, marketing and export of ratite meat and related products. Projects under this MOU are valued at $13.7 million and cover a five-year period.

JKS Boyles International Inc., North Bay, Ontario & Philex Gold Philippines Inc., Makati
JKS Boyles, a leading manufacturer of surface and underground core drills and equipment that employs 125 people, has concluded the final terms of an initial three-year purchase agreement with Philex Gold Philippines Inc. for leading-edge Canadian drilling products in the mineral exploration industry worth an estimated $1.5 million. This purchase is a direct result of the Filipino company using JKS Boyles products in the field for two years.

Major Projects International, Inc., Ottawa, Ontario & Tribal Communities Association of the Philippines, Quezon City & Institute of Cultural Research and Resource Development
Major Projects International Inc., which specializes in plumbing, heating and air conditioning equipment and supplies and employs eight people, has signed an MOU with the Tribal Communities Association of the Philippines (TRICAP) and the Institute for Cultural Research and Resource Development to build a sugar mill and plantation in northern Bukidnon and southeastern Misamis Oriental. The project is valued at $8 million.

Northern Telecom, Brampton, Ontario & Philippine Communications Satellite Corporation & CALL Telecoms
Northern Telecom, which specializes in telecommunication and networking equipment and employs 10 000 people worldwide, has signed an MOU with the Philippine Communications Satellite Corporation and its subsidiary, Call Telecoms, to build an international telecommunications gateway facility, local exchange carrier network, and a personal communications services (PCS) digital mobile network in the Philippines. These projects are valued at $411 million.

1219001 Ontario Inc., Mississauga, Ontario & An-Trade Inc.
1219001 Ontario Inc., which specializes in gift items and employs four people, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement appointing An-Trade Inc. as their exclusive sales agent in the Philippines. The agreement also designated 1219001 Ontario Inc. as An-Trade Inc.'s agent and distributor of Philippine-produced coffee, fruit juice concentrates and other Philippine-made products in Canada. The project is valued at $1 million.

Orion Technologies Canada, Richmond, British Columbia & the Department of Science and Technology, Manila
Orion Technologies Canada, which specializes in secure electronic networks and employs 50 people worldwide, has signed an MOU with the Department of Science and Technology of the Philippines to develop an application-specific integrated chip to be used for secure transmission and communication. Applications are for electronic communications using the Internet, Intranets and fax. The project is valued at $1 million.

Parenteau and Parenteau International Inc., Montreal, Quebec & the Tribal Communities Association of the Philippines, Quezon City & Institute of Cultural Research and Resource Development
Parenteau and Parenteau International Inc., which specializes in financial services and employs 10 people, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Tribal Communities Association of the Philippines (TRICAP) and the Institute for Cultural Research and Resource Development to undertake an Abaca Plantation and Pulp Mill in Bukidnon and North Cotabato. The project is valued at $16 million.

Professional Components Ltd., Sydney, British Columbia & American Automotive Centre Inc., Manila
Professional Components Ltd., which specializes in buses and ambulances and employs 50 people, has signed an MOU with the American Automotive Centre Inc. to provide small and medium-sized buses for the Philippine market. The project is valued at $10 million to $15 million.

Romios Estate Ltd., Toronto, Ontario & the Tribal Communities Association of the Philippines, Quezon City & the Institute of Cultural Research and Resource Development
Romios Estate Ltd., which specializes in mining exploration and forestry and employs five people, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Tribal Communities Association of the Philippines (TRICAP) and the Institute of Cultural Research and Resource Development to undertake mineral exploration in the Pigsagan gold-copper project in Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon and Lanao del Norte. The project is valued at $10 million to $15 million.

The S.M. Group International Inc., Montreal, Quebec & Ascent Ventures Enterprises
The S.M. Group International Inc., which provides comprehensive management and information technology expertise in the fields of environment, transportation, infrastructure and energy and employs 400 people, has signed an MOU with Ascent Ventures Enterprises to design, finance, build, equip, own and operate (for a period to be determined) water-supply and sanitation facilities in the Luisita Industrial Park, Hacienda Luisita, or the Tariac Water District's franchise area. This project, subject to a cooperation agreement with the said water district, is valued at $45 million.

Stellar Metals Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia & Eagle Crest Resource Group Inc., Makati
Stellar Metals Inc., which specializes in mining exploration and employs 16 people worldwide, has signed an MOU to explore and develop a nickel laterite property in Isabela, the Philippines. The project is valued at $685 million.

Stellar Metals Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia & Long Point Mining Co. Inc., Makati
Stellar Metals Inc., described above, has also signed an MOU to explore and develop a nickel laterite property in Palawan, the Philippines. The project is valued at $25 million.

The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia & CARO International Consultants (Philippines) Inc., Manila
The University of British Columbia, a leader in the field of livestock reproductive technology, livestock genetics and herd improvement, has signed an MOU with CARO International Consultants (Philippines) Inc. to build an industrial agri-complex and genetics facility in the province of Laguna in the Philippines. The project is valued at $13.5 million.