26 October 2005 -- The Philippine Embassy in Ottawa reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Filipino-Canadian community and the Embassy personnel bid farewell  to Ambassador Francisco L. Benedicto and wife Tina, as the Ambassador concludes his tour of duty as Philippine Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Canada on 25 October 2005.

Ambassador Benedicto, born in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, was raised in Cebu where he spent his boyhood and teenage years.    The young Francisco graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of San Jose-Recoletos in 1964. He was conferred a doctorate degree in Humanities, honoris causa, by his alma mater in 1987.

Ambassador Benedicto has received countless awards and distinctions, including the Order of the Knight of St. Sylvester Award from His Holiness Pope John Paul II in 1979, the Most Outstanding Son of Cadiz City award by the Cadiz City government in 1991, the Most Outstanding Individual by the Cebu City government in February 2000 and the Diplomatic Service Medal Kwanghajang Award by President Kim Young-sam of the Republic of Korea in 1995. He was also twice named Most Outstanding Alumnus of the Year by the University of San Jose-Recoletos, in 1968 and again in 1982.
 
His distinguished and accomplished career in the diplomatic service started with his assignment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippines to Singapore from 1986-1993, where he was the Dean of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps from 1989 to 1993. He was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippines to the Republic of Korea from 1993-1995 and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Federative Republic of Brazil, with concurrent accreditation to the Republics of Venezuela, Colombia and Suriname from 1996 to November 1998.
 
During his stint of more than six years as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippines to Canada, Ambassador Benedicto has more than proven himself to be a man of action with his numerous  accomplishments and achievements.
 
Ambassador Benedicto counts among his most significant achievements as Ambassador to Canada his highly successful motivation of the Filipino-Canadian community across Canada to be more actively involved in community and civic affairs. With the Ambassador’s support and encouragement, Canadians of Philippine origin continue to add diversity and vitality to the fabric of Canadian society.
 Early on in his posting in Canada, Ambassador Benedicto encouraged Filipino communities in different key cities to establish their own community centers where Filipinos can mingle and socialize with kababayans. On various occasions, the Ambassador himself provided the seed money for such initiatives.
 
To advance the welfare and interests of Filipino workers in Canada, Ambassador Benedicto launched orientation-seminars for newly arrived caregivers to help ease their adjustment to their new lives in Canada.
 
Ambassador Benedicto also promoted closer and stronger economic, political and cultural ties with Canada. In line with his vision for Canadians to regard the Philippines as a highly viable economic opportunity, Ambassador Benedicto  worked hard to promote trade and investments between the Philippines and Canada. Toward this end, Ambassador Benedicto  supported initiatives that would promote Philippine-Canada trade and investments, such as the Canada-Philippines Business Council. He also hosted various trade and business missions to and from the Philippines and Canada.
 
Through his initiative, the Philippine Embassy offered Entrepreneurship Seminars to members of the Filipino community in Ottawa and Montreal, aimed at empowering Filipino-Canadians by teaching them how to harness business opportunities and put up their own businesses.
 
Owing to his excellent relations with the Filipino community in Canada, Ambassador Benedicto successfully organized and mobilized Filipino community leaders in seeking support for the Philippine Government’s Classroom Galing sa Mamamayang Pilipino Abroad. To date, some 12 classrooms have been donated by individuals and organizations from Kingston, Ottawa and Montreal. He  also marshaled Filipino community leaders to direct their efforts toward aiding victims of the series of typhoons that struck some parts of the Philippines in late 2004.
 
In 1999, as the Philippines and Canada celebrated fifty (50) years of diplomatic ties, the Ambassador played the key role in a number of initiatives to mark the golden anniversary of Philippines-Canada relations. Among these were the issuance  of a Presidential Proclamation declaring November 1999 as Philippines-Canada Friendship Month, the signing of a Supplementary Agreement on Social Security between the Philippines and Canada, the issuance of commemorative stamps, the dedication of a portion of the Rizal Park as Philippines-Canada Friendship Park and the renaming of a street in Manila and Cebu  as Canada Drive.
 
As the Regional Dean of the Asia Pacific Group, it has been the goal of Ambassador Benedicto to further foster the harmonious relations between countries in the Asia-Pacific bloc and to elevate the Philippines’ relations with these countries to greater heights. END
 
In the meantime, the Department announced that incoming Philippine Ambassador to Canada Jose S. Brillantes left Manila at 11:05 a.m. today to assume his post.   Prior to his diplomatic assignment, Ambassador Brillantes was the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs from  15 October 2002 to 25 October 2005. END