Philippines-Slovakia
2nd Business Trade Mission:
Talisay, Batangas – With the Taal Volcano and Taal Lake posturing itself as a prime Filipino natural pride and a magnificent backdrop, the mood was set. Only hours after the official launching of the 2010 Philippines-Slovakia 2nd Business Trade Mission in Makati City, trade mission delegates danced the night away in Club Balai Isabel Resort in Talisay, Batangas to celebrate the furtherance of a promising bilateral trade relations. Barriers were broken, smiles became the official protocol and businesses transcended beyond language hurdles.
Hosted by the VGent Group of Companies led by its Chairman Emeritus Mr. Felicisimo P. Gorospe and wife, Chairman-Elect Mrs. Erlinda A. Gorospe, the husband-and-wife tandem provided more casualness and a relaxed feeling to the participants which included eight company presidents of the VGent Group of Companies and six Slovakian business principals and executives.
On January 23, 2010, with the breathtaking Taal Volcano and Lake serving as a milieu, a breakfast photo session was conducted for each trade mission delegate in order to provide a lasting souvenir of the event. The Slovakian delegates were then toured by boat and horseback riding to Taal Volcano crater to appreciate the natural beauty of the Philippines and enhance their positive reception to the local tourism sector.
The afternoon was filled with fun and laughter as party hosts and organizers, Mr. Angelo D. Tabuac and Ms. Jennifer T. Delos Reyes, both managing directors of AlterBest Solutions, Inc., provided humor by introducing a make-believe academy, the VGent Group Filipino-Slovakian “language school” and challenged each delegate to teach an interesting Filipino or Slovakian word for the day to the crowd after they speak about their companies.
Mr. Nelson Terrible, president and CEO of Club Balai Isabel Resort, welcomed the delegates and expressed his heartfelt happiness that Slovakia is unwavering in its interest in knowing more about the Philippines. Each of the Slovakian delegates, namely, Mr. Jan Dina, managing director of VGent Europe, s.r.o; Mr. Ivan Kacur, owner of Ivan Kacur, SHR and a prime agricultural business player in Slovakia; Mrs. Darina Dinova, sales manager of Philippinoboutique VGent Europe, s.r.o; Mr. Tomas Maristiak, director of L.U.T.O, s.r.o.; Eng. Olga Onderikova Mikulikova, technical director, Konstrukta spol, s.r.o.; and Mr. Joseph Plancar, director of Gasmonta, s.r.o., talked about their respective companies and presented opportunities for which they would like to expand trade relations with Filipino companies.
“I am happy to be here. Although this is my first time to be in the Phillippines, I already like the Philippines. The next time I will be here, I will be bringing my workers to visit the Philippines as I am sure they will appreciate this as well,” said Mr. Ivan Kacur who was speaking in pure Slovakian and translated in English by Mr. Jan Dina.
According to Eng. Olga Onderikova MIkulikova, speaking in pure Slovakian, and translated in English by Mr. Tomas Maristiak, “Our group specializes in construction of housing and condominiums, but most specifically for pipelines in utilities such as oil, electricity and the like. There are a lot of opportunities and I am very happy to be here. I will be improving my English the next time I visit.”
Guests were also asked to perform impromptu song numbers and games were played to add spice to the delightful Saturday afternoon. Dubbed as “Pinoy-Slovak Henyo: The Slovak-Filipino Challenge,” the participants were asked to guess a word with particular relevance to Slovakia or the Philippines. The group was divided into two, Slovakians and Filipinos. The Slovak party was asked to guess a Filipino word, while the Philippine group was asked to guess a Slovakian word.
According to VGent Group of Companies Chairman Emeritus Mr. Felicisimo Gorospe, “this 2nd business trade mission is only a testament of our commitment that we believe in the potential of this bilateral trade relationship. The 1st business trade mission sealed the sisterhood of two towns in the Philippines and Slovakia as well as considerable trade volume. I hope that this only marks the beginning of more trade activities and the only way to go is to reach higher targets.”
“We started out this trade relationship with a vision. And I am very happy that all of us are now material elements in realizing this vision and making sure that it is going to succeed,” added Mr. Jan Dina, managing director of VGent Europe, s.r.o. and Slovakian trade mission party principal.
The formal event was concluded by VGent Group of Companies Chairman-Elect Mrs. Erlinda A. Gorospe who shared during closing, “We are happy that our Slovakian guests are enjoying themselves, you bring great joy to us by your mere presence here. I am also very happy that deals, new deals, are starting to shape up and that opportunities are identified. I look forward to the 3rd business trade mission soon.”
