GOVPH

AMBASSADOR LEDDA HIGHLIGHTS ASEAN’S PROGRESS ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT FORUM ON DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

Ambassador Jaime Victor B. Ledda joined other high-level panelists in a forum on disaster preparedness held at the European Parliament in Brussels on 18 February 2025.

The forum was organized by the EU Commissioner for Equality; Preparedness and Crisis Management Ms. Hadja Lahbib, along with Members of European Parliament (MEPs) Barry Andrews, Wouter Beke, Gregory Allione and Pascal Arimont. The panel also featured Special Representative Mr. Kamal Kishore of the Office of the UN Undersecretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN DRR) and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Chief of Staff Mr. Christopher Rassi.

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AMBASSADOR LEDDA CALLS ON BELGIAN DIRECTOR-GENERAL FOR BILATERAL AFFAIRS BIRGIT STEVENS

H.E. Ambassador Jaime Victor B. Ledda and H.E. Birgit Stevens, Director-General for Bilateral Affairs of the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, discuss Philippines-Belgium bilateral relations on 18 February 2025.

18 February 2025 - H.E. Ambassador Jaime Victor B. Ledda paid a courtesy call on H.E. Birgit Stevens, the recently-appointed Director-General for Bilateral Affairs of the Belgian Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, as part of the Philippine Embassy’s efforts to sustain the flourishing bilateral ties between the Philippines and Belgium

Ambassador Ledda and Director-General Stevens both affirmed the varied areas of cooperation where the Philippines and Belgium can work together, including, among others, on increasing trade and investment activities, especially in the pharmaceutical, renewable energy, and semiconductor industries, space cooperation, maritime cooperation, migration issues, and cultural promotion activities. They also exchanged views on issues of concern, such as the situation in the South China Sea, where both emphasized the Philippines’ and Belgium’s steadfast commitment to international law and the rules-based international order.

Both Ambassador Ledda and Director-General Stevens also looked forward to continued progress in the areas under the Philippines–Belgium Joint Plan of Action 2023-2027 and undertook to work together closely in the lead up to the 80th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines–Belgium diplomatic relations in 2026.

Filipino Community Day Held at the Museum of Migration in Brussels

The Filipino Community Day, 08 February 2025, of the Archipelago Abroad: Stories of the Philippine Diaspora in Belgium exhibition at the MigratieMuseumMigration was an afternoon of music, Filipino food, and storytelling.

Deputy Chief of Mission and Consul General Pablito A. Mendoza congratulated the Philippine Arts and Culture Exchange (PACE), the organizers of Archipelago Abroad, for the excellent publicity that the exhibition created and for creating a space where Filipinos in Belgium could tell and be proud of their stories.

The audience viewed a series of audiovisual interviews conducted by PACE with several members of the Filipino diaspora in Belgium. The interviewees — which included a retired nurse, an adoptee, and a business owner, among others — talked about how they came and why they stayed in Belgium, the challenges they faced, and their love for both the Philippines and Belgium.

Closing the program were heartfelt and joyful musical numbers rendered by Mylene Factora and sons Diego, Gabriel and Andres; Naomi Mababa; and Joni Sheila.

Deputy Chief of Mission and Consul General Pablito A. Mendoza gives remarks during the Filipino Community Day at the Archipelago Abroad: Stories of the Philippine Diaspora in Belgium, Museum of Migration, Brussels, 08 February 2025.

The audience members view a series of interviews during the Filipino Community Day, Brussels, 08 February 2025.

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