Yasay at the Consular Corps luncheon
Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto “Jun” Yasay was the guest speaker at the Consular Corps of the Philippines (CCP) luncheon meeting at the Makati Shangri-La hotel.
Secretary Yasay has been on the spotlight lately following the favorable ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague for the Philippines in its suit against China, and the recent visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry. As everyone knows, 2016 happens to mark the 70th year of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the US, and it is also the 65th year since the establishment of the Mutual Defense Treaty.
The recent meeting of the US Secretary of State with President Rodrigo Duterte and Secretary Yasay has generated a lot of interest among Filipinos. Certainly, the members of the Corps are likewise very interested to find out more about what transpired, which is why Consular Corps Dean and Monaco Honorary Consul General Fortune
Ledesma moved the date of the luncheon meeting to coincide with the availability of Secretary Yasay who has his hands full with the foreign policy challenges faced by the new administration.
Following the Secretary’s keynote speech was an open forum with members of the diplomatic corps who took the opportunity to ask questions, among them Denmark Ambassador Jan Top Christensen who raised the issue of human rights, while I asked about the recent National Security Council meeting.
Fortune expressed high hopes that the new Foreign Affairs Secretary will continue to support the issues and concerns advocated by the CCP, among them the candidature of Philippine nominees to positions in various international organizations such as the UN, ASEAN and APEC, among others. One of the core objectives of the CCP is to advance stronger bilateral trade between the Philippines and the respective countries represented in the Corps.
The Consular Corps is also active in numerous socially relevant initiatives that include the college scholarship program of the DFA Ladies Foundation for the benefit of the children of DFA employees, plus the expansion and maintenance (or perhaps eventual relocation) of the DFA Day Care Center where toddlers of DFA employees are cared for within the DFA building.