Malacañan Palace
7 January 2015
President Benigno S. Aquino III welcomed seven new Ambassadors-Designate to the Philippines from different countries during their presentation of credentials held in Malacañang.
In a brief message, President Aquino stated that this year would be pivotal for the Philippines, as the country will welcome the first batch of delegates for the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2015.
The President also expressed his optimism that the year will yield excellent opportunity for the country to strengthen its reform gains, explore avenues of cooperation and reinforce ties both local and abroad.
“Our home will be able to witness a large scale positive transformation of our country… So that we may work more closely towards advancement of our countrymen, our region and the wider international community,” he said.
Among the resident envoys are Roberto Sebastian Bosch of the Argentine Republic, Rolando A. Guevara Alvarado of the Republic of Panama, Maria Christina Theresia Derckx of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Martinus Nicolaas Slabber of the Republic of South Africa.
Meanwhile, the non-resident envoys are Daniel Owassa of the Republic of Congo, Niranjan Man Singh Basnyat of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal and Geoffrey Keating of the Republic of Ireland.
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