03 January 2017 – The Philippine Embassy in Mexico City, led by Ambassador Eduardo Jose A. de Vega, joined the four other ASEAN countries with resident missions in Mexico in holding the third edition of the ASEAN Bazaar, an annual event celebrating ASEAN culture and unity.

The event was organized by the ASEAN Committee in Mexico City (ACMC), led by Vietnamese Ambassador Le Lin Lanh, in her capacity as current chair. Aside from Ambassador de Vega, other heads of mission included Malaysian Ambassador Muhamad Azhar bin Mazlan, Indonesian Ambassador Yusra Khan, and Ms. Nadariya Nopakun, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., of the Thai Embassy.

As the ACMC Chair, Ambassador Le delivered opening remarks that touched on ASEAN’s accomplishments and its continuous promotion of people-to-people linkages and greater cross-cultural understanding.

Guests at the event included notable political figures such as the former Governor of Mexico City, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano; high officials representing the Mexican foreign ministry and the private sector; members of the diplomatic corps; and members of the media.

Each of the five ASEAN Embassies presented various traditional dances during the cultural segment of the program with the Philippine Embassy performing the Cariñosa. The Bazaar also included a charity raffle for the general public that featured prizes donated by each of the ASEAN Embassies and other sponsors.

Throughout the event, each Embassy operated an individual country booth that offered traditional handicrafts and cuisine, as well as a single cooperative booth that promoted tourism and investment for the entire ASEAN region. Among the items for sale that attracted particular attention of the public were traditional Philippine attire such as the Barong Tagalog. END