04 March 2015 – In a ceremony following his courtesy call on President Benigno S. Aquino III held in Malacañan yesterday (March 3), His Highness Prince Fra’ Matthew Festing, Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, handed over to the President a symbolic key to 700 houses that the Order will turn over to families of Basey, Samar and Bantayan Island, Cebu who were victims of the 2013 Super Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan that devastated large parts of Central Philippines.

Fra’ Festing noted that the bilateral relationship was not one of a donor and a beneficiary but one of partners who work hand-in-hand to provide relief and assistance to the needy, including victims of natural disasters.

Following the handover, President Aquino conferred upon the Grand Master the Order of Sikatuna (Rank of Raja). In his statement, the President said that, “As a gesture of appreciation for all the support we have received from the Order, we confer upon His Most Eminent Highness Fra’ Matthew Festing, Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, the Order of Sikatuna, Rank of Raja. This is the highest order of diplomatic merit our people can bestow upon the leader of a sovereign state; may it stand as a symbol of our gratitude for the Order’s friendship and assistance throughout the last half century.”

The ceremony ended with Fra’ Festing’s conferment on the President of the Order of Malta’s highest award, the Pro Merito Melitensi. President Aquino graciously accepted the award “on behalf of the Filipino people, as a symbol of our shared commitment to serve the poor”.

Grand Master Fra’ Festing is the second leader of the Order of Malta to visit the country, the first being Grand Master Fra’ Angelo de Mojana di Cologna who visited in 1979. The Order’s main activities in the Philippines at present focus on post-emergency interventions including rehabilitation and disaster-preparedness programs for communities affected by typhoons in recent years. END