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my officers on our toes most of the time.But what really amazes me is the Thai economy, which seems to have a life of its own. It just keeps on revolv- ing despite challenges at home and abroad. I am especially impressed at how Thailand has positioned itself at the forefront of the global and region- al tourism market, and the foresight of its leaders in ensuring that Thailand is prepared for the challenges and oppor- tunities that will come along with the ASEAN Community.How are Thai-Philippine rela- tions in the past and present?Relations have been generally stable, cordial and mutually beneficial. The first recorded contact between our two countries predates the official establishment of diplomatic relations in 1949 by 494 years! Recorded history says that in March 1521, the fatal armed clash between Ferdinand Magellan and Lapu-Lapu could have been averted had Magellan listened to the advice of a merchant from Siam who tried to broker peace between the two leaders. If I am not mistaken, Siam then referred to the old Kingdom of Ayutthaya. I wouldn’t be surprised if that man from Siam, being a merchant, returned to Ayutthaya with his junk laden with goods produced by the native Cebuanos.Fast forward to the present, our bilateral relations today are stable. We regularly exchange official visits at the highest level, with President Benigno S. Aquino III visiting Thailand in 2011, and former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra making an official trip to Manila in January the following year. We are working out the dates for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s visit to the Philippines. We have a bilateral framework for reviewing the state of our bilateral relations every two years, or as often as necessary. This is the Joint Com-mission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) which convened for its 5th meeting in June last year. The JCBC was established in 1992.People-to-people exchange is a very interesting facet of our bilateral relations. You probably know that many Thai nationals went to study in the Philippines in the 1960s and ’70s. Many went to UP Los Baños where they earned degrees in agriculture and farming technology. Armed with a degree in agriculture, they returned to Thailand and helped transform the country into one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of rice. Many also found their future spouses in the Philippines, including the patriarch of the famous Little Home Bakery, the first of its kind in Bangkok at the time.Who are the Filipino expatriates in Thailand? Is it a big community?We believe there are about 15,000 to 16,000 Filipinos in Thailand, including those who have married Thai citizens and those working for international organizations such as UNESCAP. Among the early Filipino migrants to Thailand were musicians who provided entertainment to American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War. Today, the majority of the Filipinos in Thailand are English teachers.What about trade and commerce between the countries?As of September 2014, the trade volume between our countries stood at US$6.217 billion. The Philippines is the 11th and 20th export and import partner, respectively, of Thailand. The top five Thai exports to the Philippines are motor cars, parts and accessories; electronic integrated circuits; polymers of eth-18 Elite+