Your Excellency, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps,
Your Excellency, Ambassador Claudio Maria Henrique Do Couto Lyra,
Excellencies,
Friends:

We gather today to honor a distinguished member of the Diplomatic Corps, the Dean of the Latin American Diplomatic Corps, and a good friend of the Philippines, Ambassador Lyra.

Ambassador Lyra began his tour of duty in the Philippines in June 2001 and he has proven that, indeed, friendship can bring two peoples and cultures from two different continents closer.  Ambassador Lyra has shown that with friendship, distance is not an impediment but rather an impetus for even closer relationships.

Our brothers in the southern Philippines have felt for themselves the warmth of Brazilian and Latin American Ambassadors when Ambassador Lyra, along with other Latin American Ambassadors, went on a working visit to Cotabato and Davao last year.

Over the last four years, relations between the Philippines and Brazil significantly grew and became stronger, and we are grateful to Ambassador Lyra for making all of that possible.

Trade between our countries has improved significantly, and I was just talking to Ambassador Lyra before this luncheon, and he told me that the Philippines has significant investments in Recife, in Swape port, with Mr. Enrique Razon, the principal investor.

Brazil is now the Philippines’ second largest trade partner in the Latin American region.  Our closer bilateral relations have also borne significant fruits: an MOU on the Establishment of Bilateral Consultation Mechanism is now ready for signing, and the Protocol of Intent on Technical Cooperation in the Area of Agrarian Reform is being actively pursued.

It is my sincere hope that all our efforts will reach full fruition with the convening of the First RP-Brazil Bilateral Consultation, hopefully within the time that FEALAC will hold its meeting in Brazil.

I am certain that our Ambassador-designate to Brazil, Ambassador Teresita Barsana, a career official herself, will have her hands full in furthering our objective of strengthening bilateral relations.

To impress me with her knowledge, Ambassador-designate Barsana gave me a stackfull of statistics about Brazil. In area and population, Brazil is number 5 in both.  In area, after Russia, Canada, US, China, comes Brazil with 9 million square kilometers.  In population, again Brazil is number 5, after China, India, US, and Indonesia.  Como se dice en Castellano, ‘no hay quinto malo.”

Talking of population, in the forthcoming East Asia Community, consisting of ASEAN plus 6, which includes China, Korea, Japan and then India, Australia, and New Zealand, we will have more than 3 billion people.  That’s 50% percent of the population of the whole world.  Quite a potential market for goods, services and investments.

In sports, Brazil has won the World Cup five times, and I can still remember the names of Pelé, and of course now Ronaldino, the number one football player in the world.  And you have Ronaldo.  Who can forget Ronaldo of the most recent Brazilian Championship team?

But Brazil and the Philippines are also ahead.  They have had two Miss Universes.  But I do not believe that we have less beauty in Brazil and the Philippines than Puerto Rico which has four.  So I think that this is something that we hope to see from Brazil and the Philippines during the term of Ambassador Barsana.

The Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation – FEALAC – is a concrete example of the harmony in purpose and objectives between the Philippines, Brazil and our East Asian partners and, of course, the Latin American countries.

I am confident that under Brazil’s stewardship as regional coordinator for Latin America, FEALAC will continue to be an important instrument for invigorating trans-Pacific interaction and cooperation.

Indeed, we can all look forward to a future of flourishing relations between the Philippines and Brazil, secured by the contributions of His Excellency Ambassador Lyra.

As you leave the Philippines, know, Mr. Ambassador, that you have left an indelible and positive mark on RP-Brazil relations.

I therefore wish to express my appreciation to you for your invaluable contribution to the advancement of our bilateral relations.  I hope that you will always keep the Philippines and the Filipino people close to your heart.

Take with you fond memories of a friendship shared between our two countries and people that knows no bounds nor boundaries.

As you leave our shores, ‘vai Dues e  boa sorte’.

On this note, may I invite your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, to join me in toast to the personal well-being, long life, and good health of His Excellency Claudio Maria Henrique Do Couto Lyra, and to the lasting friendship between the Filipinos and the Brazilian peoples.

Mabuhay!  Muito obrigado. END