Philippine Embassy in Dublin opens Temporary Office
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Philippine Ambassador to Ireland Ariel Y. Abadilla reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the
Philippine Embassy has opened its temporary office in Dublin on 9 July 2009.
The temporary office is located at the Fitzwilliam Business Centre, Suite G03, 77 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay,
Dublin 2. Its temporary business hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays to Fridays, except on Philippine
and Irish holidays.
In opening the first resident Philippine Embassy in Ireland this month of July, Ambassador Abadilla noted that
July is also the same month when diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Ireland was formalized
25 years ago.
As part of the transition process, the Philippine Honorary Consul in Dublin Mr. John Ferris had his last
consular clinic on July 11 at the Teacher’s Club on Parnell Square West, Dublin. Mr. Ferris will also be at the
new office.
Ambassador Abadilla announced that the public can now transact regular business at the new temporary
office starting July 13, when the Embassy begins consular and frontline operations.
The initial team deployed to Ireland by the Philippine Government is composed of Ambassador Abadilla,
Minister and Consul General Hjayceelyn Quintana, Mrs. Jocelyn Roxas (Attache), Mrs. Ruth Patricio (Attache),
and Mr. Errol Reyes (Attache).
Ambassador Abadilla said that while undertaking full consular operations, the team will continue efforts in
setting up the permanent location for the Embassy in two to three months’ time, and attend to all aspects of
Philippine-Irish diplomatic relations.
Mrs. Charla Aldemita, from Misamis Occidental and now a resident of County Kildare, was the first to visit the
Embassy on its opening day. She came with her husband Arnold and their two young sons. Mrs. Aldemita said
she is “very happy and content” now that there is a Philippine Embassy in Dublin that will attend to the
concerns of Filipinos in Ireland.
For inquiries, the Embassy may be reached at tel. no. 01 6401946 and email address dublin.
philembassy@gmail.com. END
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First RP Resident Ambassador to Ireland presents Credentials to Irish President Mary
Mcaleese
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Ambassador Ariel Y. Abadilla presented his Letter of Credence to Irish President Mary McAleese at a
ceremony held at the State Reception Room of the Aras an Uachtarain (President’s Residence) on June 29.
Ambassador Abadilla’s presentation of credentials marks the establishment of a Philippine resident
Embassy in Ireland.
In his remarks, Ambassador Abadilla conveyed the traditional Filipino greeting of “mabuhay” from President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the Irish President and to the people of Ireland.
He also referred to the parallelisms between the histories of the Philippines and Ireland and the many years
of friendly interaction and cooperation between the Filipino and Irish peoples.
President McAleese warmly responded by remarking about the role played by the Irish missionaries in the
Philippines and the role now being played by the large Filipino community in Ireland in developing and
strengthening the friendly ties between the two countries.
She praised the Filipinos in Ireland for their outstanding work ethic. President McAleese ended her remarks by
expressing the Irish Government’s hope that President Arroyo will be able to visit Ireland in the near future.
After receiving the Letter of Credence, President McAleese introduced Ambassador Abadilla to the Irish
officials present at the ceremony namely: Mr. Pat Carey, T.D. (Minister of State and Chief Whip); Mr. Tim O’
Connor (Secretary General to the President); and Mr. Dan Mulhall (Assistant Secretary at the Department of
Foreign Affairs).
Ambassador Abadilla was given military honors at the front side of the Aras.
Ambassador Abadilla was accompanied by his two daughters, Marienette and Katharine, as well as Minister
and Consul General Ms. Hjayceelyn Quintana. END
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Ambassador Lagdameo meets with New Basque President to Reinforce
Philippines-Basque Relations
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Philippine Ambassador to Spain Antonio M. Lagdameo met with the new Lehendakari (President) of the
Basque Country, Patxi López, on in Vitoria, the political and administrative capital of the Basque Country on
July 9.
Ambassador Lagdameo is the first foreign envoy to be received by President López who assumed the Basque
presidency on the first week of May.
Ambassador Lagdameo briefed President López of ongoing (i.e. academic exchange, deployment of Filipino
health workers, Palawan development project) and proposed projects (fishery project in Casiguran, Aurora)
between the two countries.
He also extended an invitation to the Basque president to visit the Philippines in the near future. President
López expressed strong interest in and support for the efforts being made by the Philippine Embassy in
Madrid in intensifying Philippine-Basque relations.
The Philippines and the Basque Country, an autonomous region in northern Spain, have developed strong
and active relations in recent years. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made a historic visit to the Basque
Country in December 2007 to strengthen the economic, cultural and technical cooperation between the
Philippines and the Basque Country.
The Basque Country holds a special place in Philippine society. The Basque people contributed greatly to the
political, economic and social development of the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period.
Basque place names replete the Philippine map. There are towns, cities and a province called Anda,
Garchitorena, Legazpi, Mondragón, Pamplona, Urdaneta, Zumarraga and Nueva Vizcaya. Many of the streets
of Manila carry Basque names – Ayala, Arlegui, Bilbao, Durango, Echague, Elizondo, Gaztambide, Goiti,
Guernica, Mendiola, among others.
The descendants of Basque immigrants in the Philippines continue to play a prominent role in Philippine
society such as the Aboitiz, Ayala, Elizalde and Zubiri families. END
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DFA Assists Families Involved in the Death of Filipina in Saudi Arabia
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The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that it is providing
assistance to the family of a Filipino national, Laila Castaño, who was found dead at her company-provided
residence on June 28.
Authorities said Mrs. Castaño died of stab wounds in different parts of her body.
Another Filipino, Lynn Puruganan, a close friend of Mrs. Castaño, was later identified by the police and
presented in court as the alleged perpetrator in the death of Mrs. Castaño.
The Embassy said it is conferring with both the families of the victim and the suspect, and coordinating closely
with the Saudi police on the investigation.
The Filipino husband of Mrs. Castaño, Ricardo, is also being held at the Al Khobar Police Station for routine
investigation. He is presently employed by Saudi Aramco and has been working in Saudi Arabia for 30 years.
The Embassy said it has already conferred with Mr. Castaño. It has also immediately provided consular
assistance to Mrs. Puruganan who vehemently denied it was she who killed her Filipina friend.
While investigation is ongoing, all necessary assistance are being provided to both the victim’s family as well
as to the alleged suspect and her next of kin, the Embassy said. END
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Ambassador Arguelles Awarded the Order of the Oranje-Nassau by Netherlands’
Queen Beatrix
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The Philippine Ambassador to The Hague, Netherlands, H.E. Romeo A. Arguelles was awarded the Order of
the Oranje-Nassau by Her Royal Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.
Arguelles is concluding his diplomatic tour as Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands.
Queen Beatrix tendered a farewell luncheon in honor of Arguelles at the Palace in Noordeinde on July 1, and
took the occasion to present to Ambassador Arguelles the Decoration of the Order of the Oranje-Nassau.
The Queen expressed her gratitude to Ambassador Arguelles for his efforts on improving Philippine-Dutch
relations during his term and praised Filipinos working in the Netherlands, citing the contribution of Filipino
nurses to Dutch society and the integration of two Filipino household service workers into the Royal
Household.
The Queen also took note of a number of projects which Ambassador Arguelles accomplished during his
seven year term in The Hague, notably:
a. The revival of the Philippines-Netherlands Business Council
b. Visits to Dutch provinces where Filipino Communities are residing
c. Pro-active economic diplomacy through holding of investment seminars
d. International Criminal Law Training of Philippine justices and judges sponsored by T.M.C. Asser Instituut in
The Hague
e. Training of junior diplomats at the Clingendael Institute.
On a personal note, Queen Beatrix expressed her appreciation to Ambassador Arguelles as she recalled that
the Ambassador, as the representative of the Philippine Government, was among those who sympathized
with the Royal Household’s grief during the demise of the Queen’s husband in 2002 and both her parents in
2004.
Ambassador Arguelles joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1973, and had served in Tokyo,
Washington D.C., San Francisco, Lima, and The Hague. END
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Philippine Embassy in Ottawa conducts its first Consular Mission in Atlantic Canada
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The Philippine Embassy in Ottawa conducted its first consular services to the members of the Filipino
Community in Halifax, province of Nova Scotia in Atlantic Canada, on 27-28 June 2009.
A total of 101 applications for “machine-readable passports” (MRPs), “balikbayan” stamps, applications for
dual citizenship and various legalization of documents, including processing of NBI applications, were
rendered by the consular team on 27 June 2009 at the Multipurpose Hall of a seniors’ retirement residence in
Halifax that employs largely Filipino workers as “personal care workers”.
A “potluck” of traditional Filipino delicacies-cum-meeting with about a hundred members of three (3) leading
Filipino Community organizations in Halifax was held on Sunday, 28 June. The meeting served as a mini-
forum that included exchange of views and discussion with the Embassy delegation on-going registration for
“overseas absentee voting” and the advantages of MRPs, among others.
The consular team was headed by Consul General Joseph Gerard B. Angeles, with Consul Shirley E.
Banquicio, Finance Officer Alvar Rosales and Attachés Mario Masangkay and Merle Halili as members. END
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PUP Laboratory High School Chorale Wins International Choral Competition in
Malaysia
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The Polytechnic University of the Philippines Laboratory High School (PUPLHS) Chorale won two (2) silver
certificates at the “A Voyage of Songs” International Choral Festival held in Penang, Malaysia, on 4-8 July 2009.
The PUPLHS Choral won silver certificates each in Category D (Chamber Choir) with their pieces “Ambo
Hato”, “Follow the Sun”, and “Irreplaceable”, and in Category F (Folklore) with their pieces “Rosas Pandan”
and “Mamayog Akun”. Conductor Mr. Jonathan A. Jarin said that this was the first time the PUPLHS Chorale
participated in an international competition. The 22- member PUPLHS Chorale was accompanied by PUPLHS
Principal Prof. Corazon C. Tahil and the PUPLHS registrar during their trip to Malaysia.
Another competing team from the Philippines, the Church-based choir TZ5, won a gold certificate in Category
F with their pieces of two Ilocano folksongs and “Bomala ka ay Buwan” and another silver certificate in
Category D with their pieces “Aba Po, Santa Mariang Reyna”, “Rytmus”, and “Le Chant des oyseaux”.
About forty (40) choral groups coming from Australia, China, Hongkong SAR, Indonesia, Macau SAR, Malaysia,
the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom competed in eight (8) categories. Now on its
fourth year, the choral festival aims at promoting cultural exchanges between and among participants.
During their visit to the Embassy on 08 July, the PUPLHS rendered some of the songs performed during the
competition. END.
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