14 October 2016 – Mme. Cleofe E. Castañeda, the spouse of Philippine Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman Narciso T. Castañeda, hosted the 6th ASEAN Ladies’ Circle (ALC) General Meeting at the Palayok Filipino Restaurant on October 12.
The ALC meeting was presided by Mme. Muftia Melani Musthofa, the current ALC President and spouse of the Indonesian Ambassador to Oman.
The meeting was capped with a showcase of Filipino cuisine that included a cooking demonstration by Ms. Romina O. Usi, a self-taught Filipino baker, on the preparation of Brazo de Mercedes, a popular Filipino dessert. An all-Filipino cuisine lunch menu was served to the ALC members. At the meeting's conclusion a certificate of appreciation was presented to Ms. Marissa Dela Cerna Mehrez, General Manager of the Palayok restaurant, for her continued support to the ALC.
The ALC is a non-profit informal group formed on May 26, 2012 by the spouses of the Ambassadors of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and the Consul General of Singapore to the Sultanate of Oman. Open to all ASEAN female diplomats, wives of diplomats and female staff members of the ASEAN Embassies in the Sultanate, the ALC currently has 19 members. The ALC aims to promote camaraderie and friendship and to enrich ASEAN culture among the ladies of the ASEAN embassies in the Sultanate. END