Philippine embassy hosts diplomatic reception
Event commemorates 118th Independence Day
By Michelle Fe Santiago
Arab Times Staff
KUWAIT CITY, May 30: The Philippine Embassy led by Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Pedro O Villa hosted a diplomatic reception on Sunday at the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel and Spa in commemoration of the 118th Philippine independence day.
Joining Villa in welcoming members of the diplomatic corps, distinguished Kuwaiti personalities and leaders of various Filipino organisations was Philippine Labour Attache Cesar Chavez Jr along with their respective spouses Cecilia Villa and Gwen Chavez who warmly greeted all the guests to the momentous occasion. Spotted also were Consul Jabbar Adiong, Assistant Labour Attache Lily Pearl Guerrero, Assistant Labour Attache Angelita Narvaez and other embassy officials and staff.
The event hosted by Filipino journalist Ricky Laxa commenced with the singing of the Kuwait national anthem followed by the Philippine national anthem led by fast rising Filipino teen star Tanya Dawood. Villa in his welcome remarks thanked everyone for coming especially the guest of honour, the Undersecretary of the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ali Al-Saeed.
The ambassador highlighted in his speech the strong bilateral relations between Kuwait and the Philippines which started way back in September 1961 when the Philippines recognised the State of Kuwait, three months after it gained independence, however it was on January 17, 1979 that diplomatic relations between the two countries was established. The Philippines opened an embassy in Kuwait in 1979 while Kuwait opened its embassy in Manila on May 24, 1996.
Villa thanked Kuwait for welcoming and hosting more than 200,000 Filipinos in Kuwait, making the country their second home. He also cited the thriving trade relations between the two countries.
“The total trade between Kuwait and the Philippines has amazingly increased almost ten-fold from US$81.34 million in 2014 to US$779.33 million in 2015. What accounts for the ten-fold increase was that suddenly, we imported US$743.83 million worth of petroleum oil in 2015,” he stated.
The ambassador cited the Philippines top export to Kuwait are bananas and the number two export are air-conditioners – a sign of the growing manufacturing potential of the Philippines. “The mantra and guidepost of the current administration of President Aquino is that good economics is good governance, that is sound and consistent macro-economic policies eventually translate to better delivery of services to the people and engenders trust and confidence among foreign investors,” he stressed.
He also highlighted the various investments made by some Kuwaiti businessmen and Kuwaiti companies in the Philippines such as leasing an island in Palawan and building a luxury resort, leasing 1,000 hectares of land in Davao and turning it into an integrated banana plantation as well as a group of Kuwaiti investors that leased about 180 hectares of land at the Clark Airfield to construct mixed-used buildings in the area and a global logistics hub. He added that tourism in the Philippines is thriving and for the first time last year, the country has breached the five million tourist arrivals mark, encouraging Kuwaitis and other GCC citizens to visit the Philippines. From Kuwait, it is easy to travel to the Philippines with several flights via Kuwait Airways, Cebu Pacific and the national carrier, Philippine Airlines.
“As President-elect Rodrigo Duterte who will be our first President from Mindanao, assumes his position in June 30, Filipinos the world over are hopeful that there will be changes for the better and continuity as well as of the policies that made us more economically secure and set us on the path towards greater development and prosperity, enabling us to continue contributing more significantly to the larger community of nations,” he stated.
The ambassador’s speech was followed by the ceremonial cutting of the cake led by Villa and his spouse together with AlSaeed.
Infusing entertainment during the reception were Tanya Dawood with her powerful rendition of Adele’s “When we were young” and the comic duo from the Philippines Doris and Sabel who sang their hearts out to the delight of the audience.
The highlight of the event was the fashion show featuring the exquisite Filipiniana Collection of renowned Filipino designer in Kuwait, Resty Lagare of Lovely Fashion that captivated the hearts of the guests as models sashayed in Lagare’s intricate and dazzling creations.