18 June 2019- Ambassador Ramon S. Bagatsing Jr., together with Deputy Chief of Mission Arvin de Leon and staff members from the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) New Delhi, met with the delegation from the Philippines-India Business Council (PIBC) and Philippine Pharma Procurement, Inc. (PPPI) in the Embassy on 14 June 2019. The delegation was headed by Mr. Johnny Chotrani, Chairman of PIBC, and Mr. Jose Capistrano, President and CEO of PPPI.

The meeting discussed opportunities, initiatives, and plans to further collaborate with India in pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors for the benefit of the Filipino people. The delegation also updated the Embassy officials on two (2) MoUs on the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors that have been signed during the International Exhibition for Pharma and Healthcare (iPHEX 2019) that was held in Ahmedabad on 10-12 June 2019 and organized by the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (PHARMEXCIL).

The first MoU, signed between PIBC Chairman Mr. Johnny Chotrani and PHARMEXCIL India Director General, Mr. Ravi Uday Bhaskar, will enable the two organizations to promote the exchange, cooperation, and trade for the development of pharmaceutical and health product industries both in the Philippines and in India, while the second MoU signed between PPPI President and CEO Mr. Jose Capistrano and PHARMEXCIL India Director General, Mr. Ravi Uday Bhaskar, provides an opportunity for PPPI to further its goals and responsibilities of procuring, sourcing, and marketing of quality, accessible, and low-priced drugs for the Filipino citizens. END