His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AC, Governor of South Australia and H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Australia met on 29 October 2019 at Government House during Ambassador De La Vega’s Official Visit to South Australia.

31 October 2019 – H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Australia, completed her Official Visit to South Australia on 28-30 October 2019. During her visit, Ambassador De La Vega called on His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AC, Governor of South Australia and the Honourable David Ridgway MLC, Minister for Trade, Tourism, and Investment to discuss higher education cooperation between the Philippines and South Australia and opportunities to strengthen overall economic engagement.

There are currently 729 Filipino students in South Australia which almost doubled from the previous year demonstrating that South Australia is becoming one of the top education destinations for Filipinos.

The Ambassador met Dr. Emil Bolongaita, Head and Distinguished Service Professor of Public Policy and Management of Carnegie Mellon University Australia (CMU-A), who discussed developments on CMU-A’s ongoing partnerships with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) focused on building the Philippines’ capacity on data analytics for digital transformation.

Vice Chancellor and President of University of South Australia (UniSA) Professor David Lloyds shared the longstanding partnership between UniSA and the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines and UniSA’s interest in further strengthening linkages with Philippine education institutions.

During a roundtable discussion with Study Adelaide and education providers in South Australia, CEO of Study Adelaide Karyn Kent and her team provided updates on their roadshow in the Philippines and opportunities for Filipinos to pursue higher education in South Australia.

As part of the Embassy’s efforts to expand bilateral engagement on science, innovation and industry 4.0, the Ambassador visited the South Australia Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and the Tonsley Innovation District. The Ambassador was given a tour and briefing on the cutting-edge technology used in SAHMRI and Tonsley and how a culture of collaboration and innovation is constantly encouraged.

Ambassador De La Vega expressed the Philippines’ desire to incorporate higher education cooperation as a core element in the Philippines-Australia Comprehensive Partnership. She expressed hope that South Australia will play a key role in this as both countries prepare for the 75th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations in 2021. END

The Honourable David Ridgway MLC, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Australia, and Philippine Honorary Consul to South Australia Darryl Johnson met on 29 October 2019 in Adelaide and discussed opportunities to strengthen economic engagement between the Philippines and South Australia.

H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Australia met with Dr. Emil Bolongaita, Head and Distinguished Service Professor of Public Policy and Management of Carnegie Mellon University Australia (CMU-A) with the CMU-A team and Filipino students at the CMU-A campus on 28 October 2019 during the Ambassador’s Official Visit to South Australia.

Mr. Rishen Shekhar Deputy Director International Business Development, Pro Vice Chancellor Gabrielle Rolan and Vice Chancellor and President Professor David Lloyds briefed H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Australia and Philippine Honorary Consul to South Australia Darryl Johnson on higher education cooperation between the University of South Australia and institutions in the Philippines on 28 October 2019 in Adelaide.