Spain affirms commitment to help in Mindanao peace process

THE SPANISH government expressed its continued support for the peace process in Mindanao during the celebration of the 15th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day last June 30 in Baler, Aurora. “The support of these processes has been one of the constants of Spanish cooperation in the Philippines, with various projects implemented by civil society, particularly in Mindanao,” Spanish Ambassador to Manila Luis Antonio C. Calvo said in his speech. Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, who was this year’s guest speaker, cited the Spanish government’s development projects in the Philippines funded through the Agencia Espanola de Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarollo (AECID). “The Philippines is the only priority country in Asia for official development assistance from Spain, having received up to â‚¬278 million in the last 15 years,” Mr. Diokno said in his speech. The Philippines was a Spanish colony for more than three centuries, ending in 1898. — Jil Danielle M. Caro