Honorary consuls
IT IS WITH pride that we present the ladies who have made it to the Diplomatic Corps who also come from our city: Honorary Consuls Maria Lourdes Garcia-Monteverde of Mexico, Mary Ann MacedaMontemayor of Hungary and Joji Ilagan-Bian of Bangladesh.
Dr. Garcia-Monteverde, known as Marilou to her friends, has a long list of achievements that we would like to share with you. She is a member of the Consular Corps of the Philippines, convenor of the Consular Corps of the Philippines Mindanao, and co-founder of the Consular Corps of the Philippines-Davao Chapter.
She makes herself busy as a businesswoman, a founder of the Philippine Real Estate Service-Davao Chapter, Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Association (CREBA) National Committee, chairperson on Economic Zone Development in the Philippines, Verdemonte Realty Corporation, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the NAR-IRM, and a certified international property specialist.
Garcia-Monteverde was also a past president of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industries Inc., president of the Ambassador Club Davao, and president of the Supply Chain and Management Association of the Philippines (SCMAP) Mindanao.
Among the awards she is proud to share with us are: Most Distinguished Alumni Awardee for Visionary Leadership for Local, National and Global Competitiveness from the Davao Medical School Foundation; 2014 Most Outstanding Physician: Philippine Medical Association Governor 2014-2015: PMA Southeastern Mindanao.
At the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industries Inc., aside from being its past president for two full terms and the third woman to achieve it, she is also the first physician to lead the organization as she is an obstetrician and gynecology specialist.
She was also a 2015 National Awardee for the 1st Best Broker Award (Mindanao) Construction and Real Estate Awards by Gawad Sulo ng Bayan.
When Indonesia and Davao City expanded trade relations, Garcia-Monteverde stood out as an ASEAN RoRo (Davao-GenSan-Bitung) major proponent as she was among those who led in the launching of the project on April 30, 2017. The launching was attended by President Rodrigo Duterte and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
Garcia-Monteverde is married to Dr.Tomas J. Monteverde III with whom she has four children: Elizabeth Tomasine, a clinical pharmacist; Tomas VIII, a second year BS HRM student at the University of Immaculate Conception; Tomas XI, a second year high school at the St. Paul College of Davao; and, Mia Tomasine, deceased.
Mary Ann Maceda-Montemayor is a well-known Davaoena businesswoman who holds several managing director positions in the hospitality and tourism industry. She supports local and regional arts and crafts, mentors indigenous initiatives and eagerly participates in the bustling business and tourism activities in Davao City.
The Embassy of Hungary in the Philippines is led by H. E. Dr. Jozsef Bencze. The Honorary Consulate of Hungary in Davao opened its doors on October 12, 2018, providing an enhanced bilateral partnership between Hungary and the Mindanao region.
Joji Ilagan-Bian, an entrepreneur and also a former president of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industries Inc., was nominated as the first honorary consul general of Bangladesh by the Bangladesh Government. This is the first diplomatic footprint of Bangladesh outside Manila in the Philippines.
As a businesswoman- educator- entrepreneur, Ilagan-Bian is a prime example of what an empowered woman can do for her family and community. She has established hospitality colleges with international linkages. The impact of her services transformed the lives of fellow Filipinos and two Presidents - President Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo - awarded her Medals of Recognition for her various contributions in business and education.
Ilagan-Bian is also the vice president of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Educators of the Philippines, treasurer of the Asia Pacific Council of Hotel Educators, past deputy chair of the East ASEAN Business Council, and former chair of the Mindanao Business Council.