03 August 2016 —Secretary of Foreign Affairs Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr. met with the Filipino community in Mongolia on July 16 on the sidelines of the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit last July 15 to 16 in Ulaanbaatar.
The said meeting was the Secretary’s first time to meet with a Filipino community abroad.
“We Filipinos in Mongolia are truly honored to have the distinction of being the first Filipino community to be visited by our new Secretary of Foreign Affairs,” said Pinoy Mongolia Chairman Jerwin Salcedo. Pinoy Mongolia is the association of Filipinos in Ulaanbaatar. The said group meets regularly to discuss common concerns of overseas Filipinos in Mongolia.
About 65 overseas Filipinos in Mongolia attended the dialogue with Secretary Yasay at the Continental Hotel in the central business district of Ulaanbaatar. During the dialogue, they expressed their concerns and asked questions on the programs and policies of the Philippine Government, especially those concerning overseas Filipinos.
According to Immigration Mongolia statistics, there are 241 Filipinos living and working in Mongolia, including priests, nuns, missionaries, UN volunteers, musicians, hotel employees, chefs and domestic service workers
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Enrique A. Manalo, Assistant Secretary for European Affairs and the Philippines’ ASEM SOM Leader Maria Cleofe Natividad, members of the Philippine delegation to the ASEM 11 Summit, officials from the Philippine Embassy in Beijing, China, which has jurisdiction over Mongolia, and Philippine Honorary Consul in Mongolia Ms. Selenge Lkhagvasuren joined Secretary Yasay during the meeting with the Filipino community.
Bishop Wenceslao Padilla of the apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, and the first and only bishop of Mongolia; Fr. Ronald Magbanua of the Good Shepherd Parish; Fr. Philip Borla of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pastor Richel Maraat of the Cornerstone Church of All Nations and former Philippine Honorary Consul in Mongolia Bekhbat Sodnom were among those who welcomed Secretary Yasay during the said event. END
