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Welcome to the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai. The Consulate General was established on 10 July 2002. It is the fifth Philippine Foreign Service Post in China after the Philippine Embassy in Beijing and the Consulates in Hong Kong, Xiamen and Guangzhou. The Consulate General has jurisdiction over the Municipality of Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Hubei.

On behalf of the Philippine Government and the Filipino people, I would like to offer my deepest condolence to the bereaved families of the victims whose lives were lost in the hostage-taking incident in Manila on 23 August. These deaths are a great loss to the peoples of Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the Philippines.

The Filipino people observed a Day of National Mourning on 25 August in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong and the families of the victims. All public institutions in the Philippines and all Philippine Embassies and Consulates overseas lowered the Philippine flag to half-mast.

President Benigno S. Aquino III has ordered concerned Philippine agencies, led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Interior and Local Government, to conduct a thorough investigation of this unfortunate incident. The Philippine Government wants the investigation to be extensive, acceptable, and complete. Finding will be shared with relevant authorities in the Hong Kong SAR and Mainland China.

To our Chinese friends who plan to visit the Philippine in the future, we would like to assure you that the security of foreign nationals within our country is and has always been of paramount importance of the Philippine Government. The incident is an isolated case, and in no way reflects the peace and order situation in the country, which continues to be a safe destination for all travelers.

As two peoples linked by close family ties and centuries of people to people exchanges, the Filipino people has deep feelings of friendship for and will always welcome our Chinese friends to visit our country. They will always be met by our warm hospitality.

This unfortunate incident will not damage the solid friendship between our two countries and peoples/;

China is one of our most important partners in the international community. WE have a growing cooperation and partnership in our political, trade, social, cultural and people to people relations.

As close neighbors and partners, the Philippines and Filipino people are committed to further strengthen their growing ties with China and the Chinese people.

Statement of President Aquino on the August 23, 2010 hostage-taking incident at the Quirino Grandstand

[August 23, 2010]

« Briefer on Philippine National Police Procedures during hostage-taking incidents

With the rest of the Filipino people, I wish to offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims whose lives were lost in the hostage situation at the Quirino Grandstand. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs has conveyed our deep feelings of sorrow to the Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China and the people of Hong Kong through Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang. I have tasked Secretaries Soliman and Lim to provide everything necessary for the recovery and return home of the survivors. I have directed the fullest cooperation with the Hong Kong authorities on the part of our officials.

From the onset of this incident, the hostage-taker seemed to not be belligerent, as shown by the release of hostages. These were encouraging signs.

We were going to wait him out. The idea was to let the ground commanders who are the experts in this field handle the operation with minimal interference from people who are less expert.

But the situation deteriorated rapidly when, during the course of the negotiations, he was given the letter of the Ombudsman in which she promised to personally review his case. As he was reading the contents of the letter, while talking to an unknown individual on the phone, he became increasingly agitated.

The presence of his brother also added to the tension.

At this point, he threatened to kill a hostage. The police decided to remove the brother from the scene. As the negotiators were departing, the negotiators were shot at.

Media coverage of his brother being taken into custody further agitated the hostage-taker.

Shots were fired. They seemed to be warning shots, as there was no audible indication of tumult or chaos to show that the hostages were in immediate danger.

Nonetheless, the negotiators tried to reestablish contact the hostage-taker but they were unsuccessful as the cellphone of the hostage-taker was continuously busy. He also refused to answer the throw-phone provided for him by the authorities.

The escape of the driver, combined with his reports that the hostages were being harmed, forced the assault to happen. When the vehicle began to move, and with reports that he had hand grenades, a decision was made to immobilize the vehicle as it would have made the situation even more dangerous.

As we know, the incident tragically ended in the deaths of eight innocent civilians.

We expect more of the facts to come to light and I have ordered Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to thoroughly lead this review.

August-September : Information Technology (IT), Animation, & Creative Industries

BUSINESS MATCHING SESSIONS

September 27-29, 2010

Business matching is a service undertaken by the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC)- Shanghai, an overseas arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), to help Chinese businesses find suppliers and investment opportunities in the Philippines. This is especially helpful to people who are interested to do business in the Philippines for the first time because the DTI, as a government agency safeguards the interests local and foreign companies in the Philippines, provide the right direction and assist in ensuring a smooth and efficient working relationship between Chinese and Filipino businesses . With the right information, DTI can provide relevant contacts and information on the industry and products being explored so that you can start growing your business with the Philippines.

The conference speakers will discuss the minerals and metals industry in the Philippines and the Exhibition will feature the Asian region's top mining companies and suppliers.

MANILA F.A.M.E. INTERNATIONAL
Design Driven Products & Services–Giftware/ Holiday Décors, Home Furnishings, Wearables ; Natural, herbal and organic personal care, Cosmetics, Spa products and Hilot as a spa service
SMX Convention Center and World Trade Center, Pasay City
18-21 October 2010

ART MANILA timed with MANILA F.A.M.E.
Paintings (contemporary, classical, and modern), Commercial Arts, Sculptures, Antiques
World Trade Center, Pasay City
18-21October 2010

Environmental-friendly products and services
SMX Convention Centerand World Trade Center, Pasay City
26-28 August 2010

Please visit www.citem.gov.ph for more information on trade fairs in the Philippines