Filipinos to enjoy visa-free entry to Myanmar

YANGON—Filipino nationals holding ordinary passports can enter Myanmar without a visa and stay there for up to 14 days starting from tomorrow (January 4), according to the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The agreement between the Philippines and Myanmar governments on the visa exemption for holders of ordinary passports, which was signed during Thein Sein’s state visit to the Philippines on December 5, will take effect on Saturday.

“The visa-free entry agreement is expected to boost tourism, trade, and investment between the Philippines and Myanmar,” the DFA said in a statement.
Before the announcement, Myanmar was the only ASEAN country that required visas of visiting Filipinos.

The Philippines already grants Myanmar nationals a 30-day visa-free privilege under Executive Order 408, which was signed in 1960.

Going beyond tourism, the visa accord will help boost trade between the two countries.

In 2012, Myanmar ranked third lowest among the Philippines’ trading partners in ASEAN. Only Cambodia and Laos fared worse.

Bilateral trade between Myanmar and the Philippines amounted to only US$ 47.07 million (Ks 46.44 billion) in 2012, which is a measly amount compared to the US$9.27 billion total trade between the Philippines and its biggest ASEAN trading partner, Singapore.

source: Eleven Myanmar

http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/tourism/4636-filipinos-to-enjoy-visa-free-entry-to-myanmar