I obviously missed this. Only found out when looking at the Philippine Embassy website: Manila, 30 January 2014 "Today, I am pleased to welcome my good friend, the Right Honorable William Hague, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, who cordially accepted our invitation. Secretary Hague is the highest incumbent British official to visit the Philippines in more than 15 years. We affirmed our countries’ strong political partnership in both bilateral and multilateral fora and agreed to further strengthen such partnership founded on the mutual interests of peace, security, democracy, human rights and rule of law. Secretary Hague and I reviewed our countries’ economic relations. British investments in the country increased by an impressive 293 % from PhP 1.72 Billion in 2011 to PhP 6.76 Billion in 2012, making UK a major source of foreign direct investments. Similarly, our bilateral trade performed positively, and increased by 35 % from US$ 687 Million in 2011 to US$ 927 Million in 2012. Among the European Union member states, UK ranks as the fourth top destination for Philippine exports. I expressed the Philippine government’s appreciation for the UK’s humanitarian aid and support in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. To date, the British government and public provided more than 232 million U.S. Dollars in various forms of assistance, not to mention the deployment of military resources, making the UK the biggest contributor of humanitarian assistance. The immense contribution by the British public is a reflection of the deepening people-to-people relations between our countries. Secretary Hague conveyed the UK government’s readiness to further participate in our reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts to build back better and safer climate-resilient communities. This confirms the commitment earlier made by Secretary of State Justine Greening during her visit in Manila last November. I underscored that our reconstruction program presents numerous opportunities for cooperation and partnership, both on the part of Government and the private sector. I encouraged the United Kingdom to look into these opportunities. We exchanged views on ways to further enhance cooperation in the fields of trade, investment and tourism and identified other primary areas, including PPP. Given the favorable economic climate in the Philippines, notably high GDP growth, investment rating upgrades and strong macro-economic fundamentals, on the one hand, and improving economic conditions in the UK, on the other, we agreed that there were immense opportunities for our business people. We agreed that existing areas of cooperation will be strengthened and future areas explored. We will work on the robust implementation of signed agreements, such as the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and the Extradition Treaty, and for the conclusion of proposed agreements in culture, education, science and sports. Secretary Hague also informed me that the UK will study our proposal for the waiver of visa requirements for diplomatic and official passport holders. Secretary Hague congratulated the Philippine Government on the completion of the Annexes to the FAB (Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro) with the signing of the Annex on Normalization on January 25th. He conveyed interest in continuing UK’s participation in promoting peace and development in Mindanao. Secretary Hague expressed hope for the early conclusion of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. In thanking the UK side, I stated that the Philippines looked forward to a more peaceful and prosperous Mindanao with these positive developments. I thanked Secretary Hague for hosting an estimated 250,000 Filipinos living and working in the UK. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs noted the positive role and contribution of our Filipinos to British society and the UK economy. On the issue of the West Philippine Sea, I shared with Secretary Hague our efforts to seek a peaceful and rules-based solution to this maritime dispute. We agreed that countries should desist from taking actions that affect peace, security and stability in the region. We further agreed on the importance of maritime security, freedom of navigation, non-use of force and the threat of the use of force, and the peaceful settlement of disputes to peace and prosperity in the region. We thank Secretary Hague for their support in our pursuit of a rules-based solution to the maritime disputes in the South China Sea in accordance with international law and UNCLOS. Secretary Hague informed me that he will deliver a keynote speech this afternoon in Manila which represents the UK’s major foreign policy direction in Asia. The choice of the Philippines is significant as it underscores our solid bilateral partnership". END http://philembassy-uk.org/statement...nd-commonwealth-affairs-of-the-united-kingdom
The speech is reproduced here in full, the speech by Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert F Del Rosario is below that: "“Magandang hapon” [Good afternoon]. It is a great pleasure to be here in the Philippines. I am grateful to the Asian Institute of Management for hosting this event, and I am delighted to see so many young people in the audience as well. You represent the future of your country of course, and I look forward to taking your questions at the end of my speech. I am here in Manila today because the United Kingdom government is set on building an even stronger relationship with the people and government of the Philippines: a relationship that is forward-looking; characterised by optimism, dynamism and trust, and founded on our common values. Your high rates of economic growth are a testament to strong economic policy and the hard work of Filipinos at home and abroad, including thousands in my own country. Your government can also be proud of its work to embed good governance. The Philippines clearly has the potential to be one of Asia Pacific’s great success stories and we want to support you in that, to the benefit of both our peoples. We are increasing the number of Chevening Scholars from the Philippines able to study in world-class British Universities; new direct flights between London and Manila are boosting tourism in both directions; the Prime Minister has just appointed a Trade Envoy to the Philippines, George Freeman MP, who will no doubt strengthen the flourishing business links that saw British exports to the Philippines rise 13% last year; and I am told I have arrived in the middle of a five month celebration of Britain in the Philippines. You may be surprised to know that the British nomination for this year’s Foreign Language Film at the Oscars was a film made here in the Philippines by a British director with Filipino actors. That film, ‘Metro Manila’, is in Tagalog, and it has already won three awards at a British film festival. It goes to show what British creativity and Filipino talent can accomplish together and it illustrates the potential that there is in our relationship. In Britain we deeply admire the resilience, fortitude and community spirit you demonstrated after Typhoon Yolanda. Thousands of British people gave money to support your relief effort, raising more than two billion pesos in just four days as part of the more than twelve billion pesos provided by the Government and people of the United Kingdom, along with the two Royal Navy vessels HMS Daring and HMS Illustrious, which we despatched to enable aid to reach isolated communities. You have shown the same spirit in working to bring an end to the terrible Mindanao conflict, which has taken so many lives and caused such suffering. I am particularly glad to be able to visit so soon after the completion of the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro, which I have just discussed with your Foreign Secretary. The success of those negotiations is a testament to the vision and determination President Aquino and all those involved, some of whom I had the great pleasure of meeting last night. I am proud of the support the UK has been able to offer as part of the International Contact Group supporting these negotiations. We know from our own experience in Northern Ireland that implementation brings its own challenges, but it will also bring rewards, both for Mindanao and for the whole of the Philippines. You have found a Filipino solution to a problem that has divided the Philippines for too long, and I have no doubt that it can be an inspiration for other countries who are struggling to overcome their own conflicts and divisions." http://www.balitapinoy.net/journal/937694/William_Hagues_keynote_speech_in_Manila#.UvSgqznnZJY
If asked, I suspect the answer would be something like: "The British Embassy does not involve itself or attempt to influence the domestic affairs of its host nation. We have provided the Taylor family with Consular Assistance".
Something that Hague was banging on about.... LONDON - "Almost every day and night, Christine Antonio’s life revolves around books, papers, and hundreds of pages of readings. She spends most of her free time in the library or in her room studying and preparing for her classes. The opportunity is too precious for her to waste, she says. She is, after all, a postgraduate student of corporate law at the University of Cambridge, one of the top universities in the world—with a fully-funded scholarship courtesy of the British government at that. Almost five months into her one-year program, Christine said she enjoys the close supervision she gets from her professors. “It feels like they really take care of their students,” she said. “You would think that they are treating you like a baby. But actually, no, because they expect more from you.” Antonio had been a practicing lawyer for seven years and was working at the Privatization and Management Office of the Department of Finance (DOF) when she applied to Cambridge and for a Chevening scholarship. At the DOF, she worked with a team tasked to oversee the privatization of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCC), many of which had been involved in controversies surrounding the bonuses and perks of their executives. She said she hopes to return to the agency to apply to GOCCs the lessons and best practices in corporate governance that she is learning in the UK in order to make them ripe for privatization. “Very few of our GOCCs are performing well and have good finances. The thrust always is, let’s just privatize and leave it to the private [sector]. But the problem is, how do you privatize where you get the maximum returns?” says Christine. Antonio is one of 11 Filipinos currently in the UK on a Chevening scholarship, the British government’s flagship scholarship scheme. This year’s scholars from the Philippines are studying a wide range of disciplines, from law and economics to environment and media." http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-f...y-uk-govt-scholars-hope-give-back-philippines
I cant stand William Hague, he is arrogant and drips with insincerity, I'm sure the Tories could have found a better SOS than him.
