Philippines signs visa-free deal with Paraguay

May 12, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Paraguay signed yesterday an agreement waiving visa requirements for ordinary passport holders to boost trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

President Marcos and Paraguay President Santiago Peña Palacios witnessed the signing of the Visa Waiver Agreement for Ordinary Passport Holders of the Philippines and Paraguay between Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Paraguayan Minister of Foreign Affairs Ruben Ramirez Lezcano during a ceremony at Malacañang.

The two governments also signed a memorandum of understanding on Mutual Cooperation in the Field of Diplomatic Training between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Apart from the two signed deals, the leaders also committed to boost cooperation on agriculture, trade and renewable energy.

“I am actually very optimistic in that in our discussion earlier, what came out was a remarkable parallel in the way that our countries are developing ourselves and how we view our countries, the Philippines views itself as a gateway to Asia and Paraguay a gateway to Latin America,” Marcos said during a joint press conference with Peña at the Palace.

“I raised the possible Philippine export of tuna, sardines, milkfish and other products to Paraguay, which would certainly give a boost to our local industries,” Marcos said.

Marcos also welcomed the signing of an MOU between the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Paraguay’s Investment and Export Network, which he said is a pivotal step in establishing contacts between Philippine and Paraguayan companies.

For his part, Peña cited the opening of the Philippine market to imports of Paraguayan beef, pork and poultry since August last year.

“This milestone demonstrates the capacity of our productive sector to access one of Asia’s most demanding and dynamic markets, with more than 100 million consumers. We aspire for this trade flow to expand and diversify in a sustained manner, consolidating Paraguay as a reliable supplier of animal protein in Southeast Asia,” he said.

“Likewise, we see significant opportunities to broaden our export offerings in grain, maize, oilseeds and agro-industrial products in response to Philippine demand for food security,” the Paraguay president, an economist by profession, added.

Peña said his country also offers competitive conditions for the maquila industry, attractive incentives for foreign investment and a logistic platform in full expansion, citing the Bioceanic Corridor, which positions Paraguay as a natural bridge between the Atlantic and the Pacific.

Peña said the two nations can also take advantage of Paraguay’s pro-temporary presidency of Mercosur – a regional trade bloc in South America – and the Philippines’ chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year. — Andrew Ronquillo