President Marcos' trip to Germany will center on promoting the rights of Filipino workers in the European country and inviting German businesses to look at the Philippines as an investment destination.

The Philippine Ambassador to Germany Irene Susan Natividad said this ahead of Marcos' working visit to Berlin on March 12.

In an interview, Natividad enumerated the different topics the President might tackle with German officials and business leaders during his stay there.

"The key to any bilateral relation is mutual or shared interests and values," she said.

"We have several with Germany that can complement each other, commitment to a rules-based international order is one, strengthening partnerships on climate issues, development cooperation is another, labor also is another sector where Germany and the Philippines share the importance of this sector to the relations," she added.

According to the Filipino envoy, the Philippines can take advantage of Germany being a powerhouse in terms of innovation, manufacturing, and automobiles among others.

Labor

Natividad expressed confidence that President Marcos and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will include labor in their upcoming meeting, particularly how both countries can help each other.

"The Philippines, how to help Germany address that labor shortage and for Germany to assure us that the workers we will be sending here will be treated fairly, provided all the benefits and rights they should enjoy just like any other German national or other nationalities working in Germany," she said.

"We have over 35,000 Filipinos in Germany. They’re in the healthcare, IT, and hotel and hospitality industries. We also have students here, scholars, trainees, and volunteers," she added.

Natividad likewise said that Filipinos in Germany are "excited" about Marcos' trip since it has been almost 10 years since a sitting Philippine president set foot in Berlin. The late former president Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III visited Germany in September 2014.

"This is the first visit of the Philippine President after 10 years since the last visit. So the Filipinos working and living here in Germany of course look forward to it," she said.

"They know the developments happening there in the country. So there is much, much interest from the Filipino community here in Germany," she added.

Business

According to Natividad, a huge chunk of President Marcos' trip to Berlin is about promoting the Philippines as an investment destination.

"This is a working visit that’s business-focused, so a big part of the President’s program is business-oriented," she said.

"He will address the German business community and inform them of all the reforms that the administration has undertaken to attract foreign investments into the country," she added.

Meanwhile, President Marcos and Chancellor Scholz are expected to discuss climate and renewable energy since "this is another issue very important for both the Philippines and Germany."