Tel Aviv, Israel – The Philippines is considering easing restrictions to Israel for business travelers as the security situation stabilizes, with Manila’s envoy saying it is time to revive bilateral economic engagement.
Philippine Ambassador to Israel Aileen Mendiola said the embassy could recommend allowing business travel even as restrictions remain in place for non-essential trips.
“Maybe our recommendation would be allowing the business people to come in, do business with Israel, both ways,” Mendiola told NewsWatch Plus in an interview in Tel Aviv.
“Because we think that we’ve waited too long. We need to jumpstart business. We need to jumpstart our economic cooperation with Israel,” she added.
Israel remains under Alert Level 2, or Restriction Phase, under the Philippines’ existing travel advisory system.
Under Alert Level 2, Filipinos are advised to exercise increased caution because of heightened security risks, while non-essential travel to the affected country is discouraged. Philippine foreign service posts also maintain contingency measures for Filipinos in the area.
Security situation improves
Mendiola said the security situation in major population centers such as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem has been relatively stable since the ceasefire, although areas near Israel’s borders with Lebanon and Gaza remain points of concern.
“Since the ceasefire was established, after the 40-day war, we have not experienced any security situation in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and in the nearby areas,” Mendiola said.
“The point of concern that we have only is in the north, bordering Lebanon, and the areas bordering Gaza,” she added.
The ambassador said only a limited number of Filipinos are in those areas.
“In the north, we have a few. But also in the nearby kibbutzes, near the Gaza envelope, we have a few,” she said.
Mendiola said no Filipinos are currently requesting repatriation from Israel.
“Wala na. Wala na ang nagre-request,” she said.
[Translation: None anymore. No one is requesting it anymore.]
During an earlier escalation in the conflict, the Philippine embassy assisted about 100 Filipino pilgrims in leaving Israel, according to Mendiola.
PH-Israel business ties
The envoy said improving security conditions could provide an opportunity for the Philippines and Israel to resume and expand economic engagement.
“Certainly, Israel will have technologies that we think would be very applicable to the problems that we are facing in the Philippines,” Mendiola said.
She identified food security and agricultural technology as potential areas for deeper cooperation, noting that Israeli companies are already working with Philippine firms.
“Case in point would be, for example, in food security, agriculture technology. Israel is well known for it, and there are some companies already partnering with some of our big companies in the Philippines,” she said.
Mendiola said opportunities also extend to the blue economy, including technologies that could improve fisheries productivity.
The ambassador also sees room to revive tourism between the two countries.
She said there is growing interest among Israelis in visiting the Philippines, strengthening the case for establishing direct flights.
“There’s a growing number of Israelis that are very much interested to visit the Philippines,” Mendiola said.
“That’s why I think there’s really an opportunity to establish direct flights. Not just for the Israelis, but also because of our kababayans.”
The envoy said the prospects of direct flights would still have to address several requirements.
“It’s a two-way street. We need permissions, we need the airplane,” she said.
