Day: April 5, 2022

NAIROBI– Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Kenya Marie Charlotte G. Tang presented her credentials to Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on 01 April 2022 at the State House in Nairobi.

During the ceremony, Ambassador Tang conveyed the warm greetings and good wishes of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and the Filipino people to President Kenyatta, the government and people of Kenya. She also expressed her hope to deepen Philippines-Kenya relations and expand cooperation both bilaterally and multilaterally.

The Ambassador emphasized that despite the two countries’ geographic distance, the Philippines and Kenya share many similarities on which to further build relations, the most important of which is that both are developing countries and democratic societies with shared aspirations for peace, progress, and prosperity of their peoples.

President Kenyatta reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to strengthen bilateral ties. He noted the Philippines’ strong migration policy and said that both countries can learn from each other.

During the ceremony, President Kenyatta also received the credentials of eight other ambassadors who recently arrived in Kenya–Israel, South Korea, Japan, Morocco, Malawi, Bangladesh, Argentina and Canada.

The Philippines and Kenya established diplomatic relations in 1967 and are marking 55 years of diplomatic relations this year. There are around 300 Filipinos in Kenya, many of them working in the skilled sector, religious missions, and the United Nations agencies headquartered in Nairobi.

Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs

BEIRUT— The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon repatriated 124 overseas Filipino workers and children on 30 March 2022m through a chartered flight which made a stop-over in Kuwait to pick up distressed Filipino workers before proceeding to Manila.

This is the Embassy’s first mass repatriation program of the year after bringing home around 3,400 nationals since the free voluntary mass repatriation started in 2019.

Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Raymond R. Balatbat led the Embassy’s team at the airport in assisting the repatriates to board the chartered sweeper flight. Embassy’s assistance-to-nationals (ATN) team, along with OUMWA and OWWA, coordinated with concerned agencies in the Philippines to address the quarantine requirements of those not fully-vaccinated upon their arrival in the Philippines.

Aiming to assist vulnerable Filipino migrants, most of whom are women and children, amidst the worsening economic situation in Lebanon, the Embassy’s ATN program Iwas able to provide the appropriate assistance to Filipino migrant workers and their dependents in resolving cases involving legal, immigration, medical and welfare concerns, in coordination with local stakeholders and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila.

The Embassy is committed to continue providing ATN services and bringing home distressed OFWs and their dependents amidst the on-going economic crisis in Lebanon.

Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs

SEOUL– Philippine Secretary of Tourism Bernadette Romulo-Puyat was in the Republic of Korea on Official Visit from 28 March – 03 April 2022 to undertake an intensified tourism campaign that aims to revive the vibrant two-way travel between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea.

On 30 March 2022, Secretary Romulo-Puyat with Philippine Ambassador Ma. Theresa Dizon-De Vega, and Tourism Assistant Secretary Howard Lance Uyking delivered remarks and presentations at a briefing for the media and the travel trade industry in Korea held at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul.

Tourism Secretary Puyat underscored that in Asia, the Philippines is one of the easiest countries to travel for Koreans as it has the least number of restrictions, as well as having a good number of destinations which received the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travel Stamp, the gold standard in terms of implementing health and hygiene protocols. This assures Koreans of a worry-free travel to the Philippines.

She also invited Korean government officials, travel trade members, and media to the WTTC Global Summit which will be held in Manila from 20 to 22 April 2022. WTTC is the most influential tourism summit in the world and the Philippines’ hosting reaffirms our readiness to open our borders to international travelers.

Philippine Ambassador Dizon-De Vega shared the Philippines’ enthusiasm at having Korea as the top market for incoming visitors, a testament to the robust PH-ROK bilateral relations which has been in a consistent upward trajectory through the years.

The Ambassador also stressed that the visit of Secretary Puyat comes at an opportune time as the Philippines re-opened its borders to international travelers after nearly two years of restrictions, as well as the easing of quarantine requirements for fully-vaccinated travelers entering Korea starting in April.

Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs

TOKYO— The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, through its Commercial Section, launched the Opening Ceremony of the Philippine Food and Beverage Promotion Campaign in Tokyo held on 31 March 2022. The said event was made possible through funding from the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry and the ASEAN-Japan Centre’s (AJC) funding.

In his remarks, Philippine Ambassador to Japan Jose C. Laurel V stated that the campaign will be able to bridge the gap in sensory appraisal and provide Philippine MSMEs respite from the prohibitive cost of shipment and marketing, as well as allow MSMEs the opportunity to access the Japanese market through digital onboarding.

It will highlight coffee which incidentally ties seamlessly with efforts of the AJC to promote an ASEAN coffee roadmap. Ambassador Laurel stressed that the Philippines can play a big part in the growing and evolving wave of specialty coffee, especially as coffee beans are now being processed and developed at quality levels never seen before.

The campaign, which will be held at the PTIC Multipurpose Hall, will promote 360 products from 46 export ready micro and small medium enterprises in the snacks and spreads, coffee, tea and beverages, jars and canned goods, grains and noodles, condiments, mixes and powders and lifestyle categories.

The project melds covid-responsive digital and hybrid marketing tools which include an exhibition, buyer visits to actual display, online business meetings, digital lookbooks, LED screen streaming and social media campaigns by Japanese influencer.

During the three-month display, the Commercial Section will also arrange zoom meetings with the buyers who want to discuss the samples with the suppliers.

Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs

After the success of the YSEALI Learns Winter Semester virtual course, now we are excited to announce the YSEALI Learns Summer Semester online courses that you can take with other young leaders from Southeast Asia on Civic Engagement! Check out the details below.

Are you passionate about learning and have self-discipline to commit to online learning in the Civic Engagement field? Are you interested in building a network through collaboration and partnership with other Southeast Asian participants? If yes, then keep on reading about this new opportunity we are excited to offer for YSEALI members!

Course Description

The YSEALI Learns semester comprises three semesters (Winter, Summer, Fall) with different themes. Each learning session will be facilitated by an expert speaker followed by small breakout room discussions.

The Summer semester will focus on civic engagement through 3 YSEALI Learns online courses:

Community Organizing for Action (4 sessions): You will learn about how to inspire and engage volunteers to be proactive in their communities and organize grassroots campaigns as it is essential to the success of most non-governmental organizations involved in community development.

Advancing the Role of Women (3 sessions): You will learn about ways men and women can work to increase women’s participation in political processes, advance women’s role in the peace and security of their communities, and create opportunities for women to strive in the workforce and as entrepreneurs.

Community Journalism (3 sessions): You will learn to examine the foundational principles of journalism and the tools available to effectively create and share stories that matter to your community.

Interested applicants may either choose one course or commit to all but must commit to attend all the sessions in order to receive an e-certificate of completion.

Course Dates

The learning session will happen every Wednesday and Thursday evenings for two hours through Zoom. (Session links will be shared one week before the session)

The Community Organizing for Action: May (Week 2-3)

Advancing the Role of Women: June (Week 2-3)

Community Journalism: July (Week 2-3)

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be:

YSEALI Members (register at yseali.state.gov)

Ages between 18 – 35 (at the time of application and semester)

Citizen and currently residing in one of the following YSEALI countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste or Vietnam

If you are a citizen of one of the YSEALI countries but you are currently residing outside of ASEAN or Timor-Leste, you may apply if you plan on returning to Southeast Asia

Passionate with self-discipline to commit to the online learning and have a keen interest in building a network through collaboration and partnership with other Southeast Asian countries

Must commit to the full duration of the online courses

Fluent in written and spoken English

Must commit to interact in the small group breakout room sessions during the courses. Failure to do so will result in the ineligibility to receive a certificate of completion

Has completed the prerequisite YSEALI Learns course: Strategies for Personal Growth and Development (3 sessions) and must send the certificate as proof of completion

How Can I Enroll?

Enroll before April 20, 2022. Please note that:

The sessions are fully virtual and you are expected to attend and interact in all the lessons to graduate the course.

These courses are fully funded

Selected participants will be notified by the latest May 05, 2022.

Please note that this course has limited seats available.

Source: U.S. Mission to ASEAN

WARSAW – The Philippine Embassy in Warsaw, through its Consular Assistant and ATN Officer Ariel Esparto, successfully assisted from 28-31 March 2022 three separate groups of Filipinos who were fleeing the ongoing war in Ukraine.

One Filipino left the port city of Berdyansk in Zaporizhzhia, south-east of Ukraine, and escaped to safety together with his Ukrainian wife, two young children, and Ukrainian mother-in-law.

Another Filipino fled her apartment building after it was bombed in the besieged city of Mariupol in Donetsk, south-east of Ukraine, together with her Ukrainian husband, who had to stay behind in Ukraine, while she crossed the border to Poland on her way home to the Philippines.

The Embassy also facilitated the border crossing of the Ukrainian spouse of a Filipino and their minor child who traveled from the city of Tiachiv in west Ukraine.

The Embassy continues to monitor and is ready to give appropriate assistance to Filipinos who may still be in Ukraine, which is currently on Alert Level 4.

Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs