The Philippines and Italy have enjoyed a warm and cordial relationship since 1947 after the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and General Relations in Rome. Since then, the Philippines and Italy have concluded on several agreements, including those pertaining to scientific and technical cooperation, investments, small and medium enterprises, and various transportation and communication initiatives.

To wit, the Italian exports to the Philippines in 2018 alone equated to nearly 662.5 million Euros, mostly on machinery, electronics, food, and leather goods. On the other hand, Italian imports from the Philippines in 2018 equaled to 255.55 million Euros, mainly food, clothing and electronics. The visit by Undersecretary di Stefano is expected to discern how Italy and the Philippines can help one another in realizing these potentials. This can be achieved by forming new areas of cooperation, especially in deepening the ties in the cultural sector and using Italian technologies to help modernize the Philippines agricultural sector and improve its productivity.