ASEAN@50 Celebrated in New York
From left: Deputy Permanent Representative (DPR) Siti Arnyfariza Jaini of Brunei, DPR Savann Ke of Cambodia, DPR Maythong Thammvongsa of Laos, Consul General Abdul Kadir Jailani of Indonesia, Consul General Jeremiah Oliver Jitos of Malaysia, Counselor Nang Phyu Sin Than Myint of Myanmar, Consul General Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-de Vega of the Philippines, Consul Eugene Ng of Singapore, Consul General Nipon Petchpornprapas, and Consul Hoang Thanh Tu of Vietnam. (photos by Troi Santos)
11 August 2017, NEW YORK CITY - It was an evening of celebration, friendship, and camaraderie as the Philippine Consulate General in New York hosted the ASEAN Night on August 11 at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the ASEAN.
Consular and diplomatic officials from the 10 member states co-organized the festive and meaningful event which featured traditional food and beverages from each ASEAN member country, native music and dances, and capped by community singing of famous songs from ASEAN countries.
Special guests at the event included Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer, Office of Foreign Missions (OFM) Area Director Jeffrey Cellars, and representatives of the Society of Foreign Consuls in New York (SOFC). Ms. Brewer and Director Cellars extended special messages on the occasion.
The Consuls General of China and India, and the Deputy Consul General of Japan also represented their countries as ASEAN Dialogue Partners.
In her welcome remarks, Consul General Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-de Vega emphasized the importance of ASEAN as a growing global economic power. She also shared the recent developments in the Philippines' chairmanship of the ASEAN this year, including the recently concluded ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) held in Manila last 2-8 August.
The Consulates General and Consulates of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam were joined by the Permanent Missions to the UN of Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar in organizing the event to celebrate ASEAN's 50th year and to promote friendship and camaraderie among ASEAN Consular and Mission personnel in New York.
ASEAN marks its 50th anniversary this year with the Philippines as Chair of the Regional Organization for 2017.END
For more information, visit www.newyorkpcg.dfa.gov.ph/ www.newyorkpcg.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinNY.
Consul General de Vega delivers her welcome remarks at the ASEAN Night in New York on 11 August 2017.