Her visit comes 20 years after the last dedicated bilateral visit to the Philippines made in 1986 by then Prime Minister David Lange. In 1996, then Prime Minister Jim Bolger was in the Philippines but only to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Prime Minister Clark’s visit is also expected to bolster moves by the Philippines to introduce the importance of interfaith dialogue in achieving peace and security in the region and in the whole world. She will address on Tuesday the opening ceremony of the Dialogue on Regional Interfaith Cooperation for Peace, Development and Human Dignity at the Shangri-La Mactan Hotel in Cebu province.

She will also make a series of official calls and meetings and visit New Zealand-assisted projects in Bohol through the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID).

Among the members of her official delegation are New Zealand Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism Dell Higgie, Ambassador to the Philippines Robert Moore-Jones, Prime Minister’s Office Chief Press Secretary David Lewis, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Foreign Policy Adviser Andrea Smith, and Embassy First Secretary and Deputy Head of Mission Steve McCombie.

Upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport late Monday afternoon, PM Clark will immediately fly to Cebu, where she will meet the New Zealand delegation in the interfaith summit Tuesday morning.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will hold a one-on-one meeting with PM Clark in Cebu on the same day.

The two leaders, according to the official release of the New Zealand government, are expected to discuss varying issues, including counter-terrorism and New Zealand’s relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The Philippines takes the chair of the ASEAN later this year and will be hosting the ASEAN and East Asia Summits in December.

From Cebu, the NZ Prime Minister will fly Tuesday mid-afternoon to Bohol, where a bilateral meeting between the New Zealand delegation and President Arroyo and members of her Cabinet will be held at the Bohol Beach Club.

The meeting is expected to tackle issues that would further enhance the two countries relations that started 40 years ago, when New Zealand cross-accredited an ambassador to Manila from Hong Kong in 1966. The New Zealand Embassy in Manila opened in 1975.

On Tuesday evening, President Arroyo will host a dinner at the Beach Front of Bohol Beach Club in Panglao Island, in honor of Prime Minister Clark.

On her third day (Wednesday) in the country, Prime Minister Clark will visit the site of the Dolphin Watch Pamilacan in Bohol, a beneficiary of technical and financial assistance from the NZAID.

The Dolphin Watch was recently selected as one of the five finalists in British Airways’ global "Tourism for Tomorrow" conservation awards.

Clark will return to Manila before Wednesday noon for a series of media interviews, a visit at the New Zealand Embassy in Makati City and signing of a proposed agreement between Universal College of Learning of Palmerston North and De La Salle University College of St. Benilde.

On her last day in the country, PM Clark will attend a morning wreath-laying ceremony at the Rizal Monument in Manila’s Rizal Park, after which she will hold a series of business meetings with the Makati Business Club, Philippine–New Zealand Business Council and the Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce.

She will also meet with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) officials at the ADB Headquarters in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

Senator Richard Gordon and Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila will call separately on Prime Minister Clark at the Makati Shangri-La before her departure for New Zealand Thursday afternoon.

RP-NZ relations has grown substantially in the past 40 years with the Philippines now the top export market of New Zealand in Southeast Asia.

New Zealand exports to the Philippines include dairy, kraft paper, timber and timber products and frozen beef. New Zealand imports from the Philippines include bananas, computer and electronic equipment.

President Arroyo and Prime Minister Clark had a brief one-on-one meeting at the Camia Room of the Shangri-La Mactan Hotel before the Chief Executive delivered her speech at the opening ceremonies of the three-day Cebu Dialogue on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace, Development and Human Dignity at the same hotel’s Ballroom 3 and 4.

The President also made mention of PM Clark's visit in her keynote address before some 200 dialogue participants from 15 countries from the Asia-Pacific and the Oceania regions.

"First of all, welcome to Prime Minister Helen Clark on the occasion of her state visit commemorating 40 years of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and the Philippines," the President said.

The two leaders, together with their Cabinet members, are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting later this afternoon at the Bohol Beach Club in Panglao Island, Bohol, where they are expected to discuss varying issues, including counter-terrorism and New Zealand's relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The meeting is also expected to tackle issues that would further enhance the two countries’ relations that started 40 years ago, when New Zealand cross-accredited an ambassador to Manila from Hong Kong in 1966.

The New Zealand prime minister’s visit to the country came 20 years after the last dedicated bilateral visit to the Philippines made in 1986 by then Prime Minister David Lange.

Clark arrived in Manila Monday evening and she immediately flew to Cebu.

PANGLAO, Bohol—Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila said here last night the government has invited New Zealand to consider the Philippines as an alternative distribution hub for its dairy products in the regional markets.

Favila disclosed this in a press briefing after the bilateral meeting Tuesday evening between the Philippines and New Zealand spearheaded by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and visiting Prime Minister Helen Clark at the Bohol Beach Club here.

"We took the occasion to invite the Prime Minister to look at the Philippines as a possible alternative distribution or processing hub for the New Zealand dairy products in the regional markets," Favila said.

He said the New Zealand leader has been informed of the strategic locations of the Philippines’ economic zones such as those in Subic in Zambales and Clark in Pampanga, both in Central Luzon.

The Trade secretary explained that the country’s economic zones would be attractive logistics centers for the dairy producers of New Zealand.

Although bilateral trade between the two countries has increased over the past five years, Favila said the trade balance continues to be in favor of New Zealand because of its world-famous dairy products.

In 2005, Favila said Manila’s total trade with Wellington reached $315 million, with majority of the purchases consisting of dairy products.

"Of course the trade balance is in favor of New Zealand becuse we buy practically 90 percent of our dairy product requirements from New Zealand," Favila added.

Despite this trend, Favila said the Philippines is still grateful to New Zealand for continuously importing Philippine products such as bananas, pineapples, and communication equipment, including cellular mobile phones.

During the bilateral meeting, Favila said President Arroyo and Prime Minister Clark also touched on the ongoing various free trade agreements among the ASEAN countries, wherein New Zealand is about to conclude FTAs with Thailand and Malaysia, and is currently on bilateral negotiations with Chile and Singapore.

"And Prime Minister Clark also took time to discuss with us the development in the World Trade Organization (WTO) which is entering final phase in Geneva," Favila said.

PANGLAO, Bohol -- The Philippines will spearhead the launching next week of the Tripartite Inter-Religious Dialogue for Peace, Development and Human Dignity at the United Nations, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said last night.

The dialogue will bring together governments and civil society in a common effort toward a better understanding among peoples of different faiths and religions leading to world peace.

Romulo briefed members of the media on the forthcoming inter-religious dialogue following the bilateral meeting Tuesday night between Philippine and New Zealand officials led by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Prime Minister Helen Clark at the Bohol Beach Club here.

"We all believe that in order to have lasting peace in the region, as well as in the world, it is important to understand each other's faith and religion," Romulo said

He said he reported to the participants of the three-day interfaith dialogue in Cebu that the Philippines would launch the tripartite inter-religious dialogue at the UN on March 24.

Fifteen countries and about 200 delegates participated in the Cebu dialogue, which was co-sponsored by the Philippines, New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia.

After President Arroyo first espoused interfaith dialogues in an address before the UN General Assembly meeting, interfaith conferences have been held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2004 and Australia in 2005.

New Zealand will host next year’s interfaith dialogue.

"Of course the countries represented in this interfaith dialogue in Cebu are part of that program. I reminded the people in Cebu and the countries represented there that we hope they will be there during the March 24 launching at the United Nations because the tripartite would bring together the governments, the UN agencies, civil society, and non-government organizations," Romulo said.

The DFA chief said interfaith dialogues work, as shown by the result of the government’s efforts to establish lasting peace in Mindanao after decades of conflict.

Romulo said that because of the continuing dialogue between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), armed clashes between the military and MILF members have been avoided for almost three years now.