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| PHILIPPINES, MLA.
SPAIN, MAD.
CALIFORNIA, L.A.
CANADA, ED.
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Publisher
Retracing our Iberian roots
History links us not just to Spain but also to Mexico and
Latin-American countries. The common thread is the historic Galleon
trade that linked Manila to Acapulco, Mexico.
For more than 250 years, a small fleet of Spanish vessels - known in
Mexico as the "Nao de la China” – made the 9,000-nautical-mile trek
between Mexico and the Philippines, constituting the most important
trade route to the East for the Iberian crown.
The historic Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade marked the beginnings of
globalization. Scholars agree that the first real global trade dates
here, forming the first direct and permanent trade link between Asia
and Europe and the Americas. The world became a global village, with
Manila as the most important port in Asia. It gave us a place in world
history like no other economic feature of the country.
In the same manner, one could also say that the Philippines-Mexico
trade routes were the forerunners to the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) and the European Union (EU). It was through the
galleon trade that the now important concept of regional trade
integration was born.
After successfully rekindling our relations with Spain through the
Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Act which I authored, and the many
cooperation initiatives that followed, it is high time that we renew
our ties with Mexico and the other Latin American nations.
We should resurrect our long and fruitful ties with the Ibero-American
countries which the galleon trade had forged. We look to the day when
we will celebrate Dia del Galeon simultaneously in Manila, Mexico and
Madrid. This should be the next frontier in our foreign relations
policy, as well as scholarly research.
Our 16th century relations with these countries brought trade,
investment, agriculture and the enrichment of our culture and language.
It would be to our great cultural and economic benefit if we return to
our roots and reunite ourselves with the Ibero-American bloc.
By SENATOR EDGARDO J. ANGARA
October 18, 2009, 2:29pm
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| Category: Articles and News | Added by: janus (2009-11-06)
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