15 June 2012- In celebration of the 114th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence, Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Maria Rosario Aguinaldo and Philippine Permanent Representative to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ambassador Wilfrido Villacorta held a joint reception at the Hotel Borobudur attended by the diplomatic corps, Indonesian officials, businessmen, media and members of the Filipino community last June 11.
The event was honored by the presence of the Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Marty Natalegawa, accompanied by his wife, Madame Sranya Natalegawa.
In his brief remarks, Minister Natalegawa praised the Philippines for the great strides the Philippine economy has made. He reaffirmed the close cooperation between the two countries that extends to cooperation in multilateral issues citing ASEAN in particular.
In her remarks, Ambassador Aguinaldo translated the theme of this year's celebration, Kalayaan: pananagutan ng bayan sa tuwid na daan, and provided a background on the President's commitment to good governance mentioning his social contract with the Filipino people.
She spoke, among others, on the economic progress that has been achieved by the Philippines citing its current rating by financial institutions and its first quarter GDP.
On Philippine-Indonesian relations, she thanked Indonesia for always being quick to provide generous assistance to its close neighbor in times of calamity.
She also spoke of the close bilateral cooperation at all levels that the two countries enjoy and the mutual support in various multilateral issues.
She ended her remarks by inviting the guests to enjoy what had been prepared to ensure that the evening would be great fun in keeping with its new tourism tagline (which was on the screen) "It's more fun in the Philippines":
Filipino music by the Filipino band "Aksento", Filipino beer courtesy of San Miguel, and Filipino food were specially prepared by the resident chef of Borobudur, in close consultation with the Ambassador.
The Ambassador's remarks were warmly received. Many guests, both diplomats and non-diplomats, made particular mention of and expressed appreciation for the President's social contract. END
