The Philippines has developed deeper and stronger ties with Spain, its former colonizer, with both countries treating each other as a ‘’co-equal, independent state,’’ Senator Edgardo J. Angara said on Saturday.

At the close of the celebration of the 8th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day in Baler, Aurora, Angara cited energy, tourism, heritage conservation, education and language teaching as the “most relevant, doable, and practical” areas of cooperation between the Philippines and Spain.

Angara is the author of the law setting June 30 of every year as Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day.

Baler, the hometown of Angara, a former Senate president, has been the host since the first celebration in 2003 which has now extended to various towns in the Philippines like Iloilo, Bulacan, Cavite and in Spain, in Madrid, Barcelona, Palencia, Almonte in Huelva, Sevilla and even Guadalaraja.

Honorable Enrique Mugica, Defensor del Pueblo (Ombudsman) of Spain graced the occasion, along with Jose Eugenio Salarich, Director General for Foreign Policy for Asia and the Pacific, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation; Hon. Luis Arias Romero, Ambassador of Spain to the Philippines; Hon. Pedro Rolan, Defense Attache of the Spanish Embassy; Hon. Jose Antonio Mira, Counselor of the Spanish Embassy; and Jose Pepe Rodriguez, Director of Instituto Cervantes.

“Philippine-Spanish relations gaining momentum, we can better appreciate how Spain can help us develop.

For instance, Spain is a major producer of “eolic” or wind energy. The Philippines, meanwhile, has a huge demand for energy, and an even bigger potential for renewable energy. However, there is so much that needs to be done to harness these renewable energy resources. There is a lot we can learn from Spain's experience in developing clean and sustainable sources of energy,” Angara said.

In the area of tourism, Angara said the Philippines can learn from Spain, one of the world's greatest tourist destinations-not only in terms of promoting potential tourist attractions - but also in terms of hotel construction, modernizing facilities, training manpower, networking with tourism organizations and building a strategic tourism plan, he pointed out.