27 September 2005 -- The Philippine Embassy in Santiago reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that pursuant to the cultural and public diplomacy program, the Embassy  successfully jump-started its nationwide series of presentations on 06 and 08 September 2005 at the University of Santo Tomas in Vina del Mar, Chile.

Ambassador Maria Consuelo Puyat-Reyes, who currently serves as President of the University's Instituto del Asiatico y Pacifico, reported to the Department that the presentations aim to inform the Chilean public of the Philippines in general and the 10-Point Legacy Program of  President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The initial activity, which was held in conjunction with the Embassies of Japan and Vietnam, showcased cultural presentations and lectures by the representatives of the three Asian countries.

The first part of the presentation was held on 06 September 2005 and involved lectures by the respective ambassadors on their countries' culture, economy and government. Ambassador Puyat-Reyes included in her presentation the positive developments in the Philippine economy as well as the Arroyo administration's priorities, highlighting the government's programs with respect to poverty alleviation, the fight against terrorism and measures that serve to mitigate the impact of high oil prices, some examples of which were cited.  A question-and-answer forum immediately followed this presentation.

The second part of the activity involved cultural presentations by each of the participating embassies on 08 September 2005.   Japan provided a comprehensive video of its traditional dances and a model dressed in Kimono.   Vietnam likewise showed the audience its Ao Dai ("long dress"), with two of the University's students parading the outfits.   Philippine Embassy representatives rendered the Pandanggo sa Ilaw dance and gave an overview of their Barong Tagalog attire.  Ambassador Puyat-Reyes added to the repertoire a surprise number singing two songs acapella, La Paloma and May Isang Bulaklak, to the delight of the audience. The countries' typical handicrafts were also displayed with three booths erected in the entrance to the auditorium.

Much to the satisfaction of the presenters, the events were well-applauded and well-attended with the standing-room-only crowd not just coming from the University's student body but also from the local diplomatic corps, academe, business sector and even the Chilean armed forces, as the country's navy is stationed in this busy port city.

The event's success has generated invitations for similar presentations in other institutions. The Embassy plans to conduct a nationwide tour of these presentations, which would serve as  a good vehicle to promote the Department’s economic and public diplomacy program.  At the same time, the visits will provide Embassy representatives an opportunity to render consular services to Filipinos throughout the country. END