Phnom Penh, 17 July 2024 – In a courtesy call by the Ambassador Flerida Ann Camille P. Mayo, on Prime Minister Hun Manet on 16 July 2024, the Philippines and Cambodia exchanged views on key areas of mutual interest including economic partnerships, defense and security engagements, and people-to-people ties. 

With an annual Cambodian rice surplus of about six million tons, Prime Minister Hun Manet reiterated his country’s readiness to export rice and other agricultural products to the Philippines.  He sought broader people-to-people exchanges through stronger air connectivity between major tourist destinations of both countries.

While affirming the economic interests shared by the Philippines and Cambodia, Ambassador Mayo conveyed the Philippines’ standing offer to work with Cambodian law enforcement authorities especially in jointly developing standard arrangements for the  rescue and repatriation of Filipino victims of human trafficking and cyber scam operations within the ambit of existing Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Combating Transnational Crime.

Both sides concurred that their countries’ common values of bayanihan (“samaki” in Khmer) and a rules-based order could underpin the pursuit of mutual interests and contribute to ASEAN community building. 

“The Philippine Embassy will continue to perform its level best in the service of Philippines-Cambodia relations and ASEAN solidarity,” Ambassador Mayo assured the Prime Minister. END