17 October 2016 – Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Eduardo José de Vega visited the Escuela Primaria “Republica de Filipinas” in Guadalajara, Jalisco State, to donate a new dental chair unit to the school’s medical clinic. Ambassador de Vega was accompanied by Philippine Honorary Consul Martin Camarena de Obeso, Honorary Vice-Consul Martha Mejia de Castañeda, and Vice Consul Mikhal de Dios.

The school provides primary education to more than 1,000 Mexican students and is the biggest school in the northeastern part of the city. The school was named after the Philippines in 1969, taking into consideration the similarities in history, culture and tradition between the Philippines and Mexico.

The Ambassador made the donation in a ceremony that was attended by school officials, state education and health ministry officials, along with the school’s student body and their parents. The donation of the dental chair was especially well-received by the school officials, since the school’s medical clinic serves as a community health center that provides state-subsidized medical care to both children and adults in the area.

In his speech to the students, Ambassador de Vega encouraged them to study hard and develop themselves in order to achieve their goals, quoting Philippine national hero José Rizal in saluting the youth as the "bella esperanza de la patria mía" ("beautiful hope of the motherland").

The school’s director, Maestro Adolfo Segura Avila, expressed his deep gratitude for the numerous contributions of the Philippine Embassy and the Honorary Consulate of the Philippines in Guadalajara to the school. Mr. Segura also noted the Embassy’s and Consulate’s annual prize of twelve bicycles to the best students of each class, and mentioned that these have been a great incentive in pushing the children to excel in their studies.

The donation ceremony was followed by an interview on a weekly radio show in which the Ambassador discussed and promoted Philippine culture. The show, entitled “Asian Dragon”, focuses on Asian culture and business interests, while promoting music from artists from the featured country.

Ambassador de Vega talked about the close cultural similarities between the Philippines and Mexico due to the shared history between the two countries. He invited Mexican tourists to visit the Philippines.

The Ambassador’s visit to Guadalajara concluded by meeting with Federal Deputy Mariana Arámbula Meléndez of Jalisco State, a member of the Mexico-Philippines Friendship Group in the Federal Chamber of Deputies, with whom the Ambassador discussed matters of possible bilateral cooperation. END