Ambassador Anne Jalando-on Louis (center) and spouse, Dr. Gerard Joseph Louis (behind Ambassador Louis), are joined on stage for the cake-cutting ceremony by the Guest of Honor, H.E. Dr. Isa Nasser Al Noaimi (6th from right), Undersecretary for Consular and Administrative Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Daij Al Khalifa (4th from right), Director General of the Institute of Public Administration, H.E. Nibras Mohammed Talib (leftmost), Chief Executive Officer of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), Ambassadors and Members of Parliament. (Manama PE Photo)
MANAMA 24 June 2024 – The officials and staff of the Philippine Embassy in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain, and members of their families, gathered at the Embassy to commemorate the 126th anniversary of the proclamation of the Philippine Independence with a Flag Ceremony on 12 June 2023. They were joined by Filipino community leaders, who later enjoyed a Filipino breakfast prepared by the Embassy.
In the evening of the same day, Ambassador Anne Jalando-on Louis hosted a National Day Reception at the Al Rifaa Ballroom of the InterContinental Hotel in Manama, Bahrain. In her speech at the event, Ambassador Louis highlighted the Philippines’ rich history as a nation and long tradition of upholding democratic ideals and principles, universal human rights, justice, the rule of law, and the values of freedom and sovereignty. She also noted the Philippines’ longstanding and strong bilateral ties with Bahrain, and thanked His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister His Royal Highness Salman Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the people of Bahrain for the friendship, respect and understanding that exist between the two countries.
The Guest of Honor at the event was H.E. Dr. Isa Nasser Al Noaimi, Undersecretary for Consular and Administrative Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who also represented Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif Bin Rahis Al Zayani. The reception was attended by around 260 guests, comprising Bahraini government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives from the private sector and civil society, and members of the Filipino community.
The guests were treated to traditional Filipino rondalla music by the group, Filipiniana Rondalla, who rendered Filipino songs and the Arabic piece, “Nassam Alayna el Hawa”, to the delight of the guests. The musical group is composed of Arbie Dale Castro, Matthew Dominic Romulo, Jezreel Lastra, Michael John Samaniego, Dustin Cinco, June Christian Vivar, and Robert Andrew Punzalan. Additionally, the buffet dinner at the reception featured popular Filipino dishes and desserts such as chicken adobo, bihon guisado, okoy (shrimp and vegetable fritter), sinampalukang manok (chicken in tamarind soup), buko pandan (coconut and pandan-flavored jelly salad), turon (deep-fried banana and jackfruit roll with caramel), and palitaw (rice cake with coconut and sesame seeds).
H.E. Dr. Isa Nasser Al Noaimi, the Guest of Honor, conveyed the Bahraini Government’s felicitations on the Philippines’ celebration of Independence Day and looked forward to the further strengthening of Philippines-Bahrain bilateral ties. END
The Filipiniana Rondalla impressed the audience with their amazing talent while performing traditional Filipino songs, and also surprised the audience with their rendition of the Arabic piece, “Nassam Alayna el Hawa.” (Manama PE Photo)
For more information, visit https://www.manamape.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.facebook.com/PHLinBahrain or https://www.instagram.com/phlinbahrain/.