GOVPH

THE PHILIPPINES PARTICIPATES IN THE 4TH ASEAN DAY IN LUXEMBOURG

Philippine Ambassador to Luxembourg Jaime Victor B. Ledda encourages businesses from the Grand Duchy to invest in the country during the 4th ASEAN Day held at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce on 3 June 2024.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (LCC) organized the 4th ASEAN Day at the LCC headquarters in the Grand Duchy on 3 June 2024.

Philippine Ambassador to Luxembourg Jaime Victor B. Ledda gave a presentation pitching the Philippines as an ideal investment destination before representatives of the Luxembourgish government as well as LCC member companies.

During the business-matching session, the Philippine delegation met with financial advisor Easter Sarnecki to discuss potential investments on infrastructure projects in the country with high social impact.

Ambassador Ledda then attended a working lunch participated in by HRH Crown Prince Guillaume and Luxembourgish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel, where the Ambassador took the opportunity to invite the Crown Prince to lead a princely economic mission to the Philippines, similar to the one led by his father, HRH Grand Duke Henri, when he was Crown Prince in 1997.

In the afternoon, two panels discussed connectivity and digital transformation as well as unlocking the potential of green, sustainable, and inclusive finance in the ASEAN region.

The next edition of the ASEAN Day in Luxembourg will be held in 2026.

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PH Embassy Conducts WPS Forum at University of Antwerp

Ambassador Jaime Victor B. Ledda discusses the 2016 arbitral award with maritime management master’s students of the University of Antwerp on 23 May 2024.

 As part of the Philippine Government's thrust to disseminate information that would raise public awareness about the South China Sea dispute and the 2016 arbitral award in favor of the Philippines, the Philippine Embassy in Brussels, Belgium, in coordination with the University of Antwerp, held a forum entitled The South China Sea Arbitration: Upholding International Law on 23 May 2024.

Ambassador Jaime Victor B. Ledda conducted the lecture at the University’s city campus to present the Philippine position regarding the arbitral case against China. Attendees included members of the academe, private sector, and the Filipino community as well as students taking up diplomacy and those completing their master’s degree in maritime management.

The presentation focused on the Philippine territory and its maritime entitlements, the South China Sea arbitration itself and the diplomatic and security options available to the Philippines post-arbitration. After a lively question-and-answer segment, the participants were all invited to a simple Filipino salo-salo, which capped off the 2-hour forum.

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Brussels PE Conducts One-Stop Shop for Consular, MWO, SSS and Virtual Pag-IBIG Services

The Philippine Embassy in Brussels conducted a One-Stop Shop for Consular, MWO, SSS and Virtual Pag-IBIG Services on 17 May 2024 at the Philippine Embassy in Brussels, and on 18 May 2024 at the Antwerp Harbor Hotel in Antwerp.

Joining the Embassy were representatives from the Migrant Workers Office in Berlin (MWO-Berlin), the Social Security System in London, and (virtually) the Pag-IBIG Fund representatives in Manila.

The Embassy’s consular section provided a total of twenty (20) consular services to clients, including passport renewal, civil registration, legalization of documents, and overseas voter registration for the 2025 National Elections. 

Officer-in-Charge Delia Palomar, Welfare Officer Sylvia Gabriel, and administrative staff Ms. Elena Querijero and Ms. Joyce Ann Lorenzo from MWO-Berlin certified work contracts of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and met with OFWs in distress to provide assistance and information on the programs of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). 

Ms. Lydia Cabagnot, Foreign Representative from the Social Security System in London, flew in to provide services such as the reactivation and record verification for existing members, and to answer inquiries on SSS benefits.

Pag-IBIG Fund representatives in Manila joined the outreach virtually to respond to inquiries on loans and membership records.

The One-Stop Shop brought the services of the Philippine government closer to Filipinos in Belgium. 

Brussels PE officers and staff with MWO-Berlin and SSS-London representatives during the One-Stop Shop for Consular, MWO, SSS and Virtual Pag-IBIG Services, 19 May 2024, Antwerp, Belgium.

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