Israeli ambassador pays courtesy call

PARTNERSHIP STRENGTHENING. Israeli Ambassador Ilan Fluss (left) pays a courtesy call on Baguio City mayor Benjamin B. Magalong on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. The Israeli Ambassador is currently on an official visit to the city. Photo by: Merriam del Rosario // FNS

BAGUIO CITY — Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss paid a courtesy call on Baguio City mayor Benjamin B. Magalong ahead of a media interview at the mayor’s office on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.

The ambassador said that Israel is open to Filipinos and direct flights will soon be available through Philippine Airlines.

The Ambassador’s visit, aside from promoting Baguio to Israeli tourists, focused on strengthening partnership with universities in Baguio for its agricultural internship program for Filipino students, as well as cooperation with the agriculture department to promote Israel’s agricultural innovation and technology, like hydroponics.

Israel’s Agency for International Cooperation (MASHAV) has been accepting Filipino agricultural students from various state universities and colleges in the Philippines through its AgroStudies Center for an 11-month on-the-job training in Israel.

“There are around 3,000 Filipino MASHAV scholars today who have attended various courses in Israel ranging from agriculture to public health,” Fluss said in a statement.

Israeli experts have also been visiting the Philippines for on-the-spot courses such as water management, dairy farming, and disaster risk management, among others.

Several governmental project cooperation and lighthouse projects have been established through the Shalom Club of the Philippines, an organization of MASHAV scholars, as a result of the continuous relationship between Israel and the Philippines. Merriam del Rosario //FNS