House Deputy Speaker Pia Cayetano Meets with Members of the Spanish Parliament, Touches Base with Filipinos in Madrid
From left: Ambassador Philippe J. Lhuillier, House Deputy Speaker Pia Cayetano, and Members of the Spanish Parliament, Marta Maria Rivera de la Cruz and Ignacio Tremiño Gomez
24 May 2017 MADRID — Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Pilar Juliana “Pia” Cayetano, together with Ambassador Philippe J. Lhuillier, met with members of Spain’s Congreso de los Diputados, Ignacio Tremiño Gomez and Marta Maria Rivera de la Cruz, to explore ways to strengthen links between the Philippines and Spain in the fields of education, sports and culture. This include the possible expansion of Spanish language programs in the Philippines and increased educational program exchanges between the Philippines and Spain.
Cayetano’s meeting with Deputy Tremiño, spokesperson for the Committee on Comprehensive Disability Policy also touched on government policies on persons with disabilities. Deputy Tremiño shared that he encourages basic sports activities among disabled persons. Cayetano shared her advocacy to support children with disabilities through her foundation, Gabriel’s Symphony. Both agreed to continue the exchange of views and good practices in this regard.
The meeting with Deputy Rivera, on the other hand, recognized the need to promote deeper knowledge on the Philippines among Spanish people through increased high-impact projects where Deputy Rivera expressed the willingness of her office to assist in these projects.
2017 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Spain. The meetings with Deputies Tremiño and Rivera are manifestations of the strong and friendly ties between the two countries.
While in Madrid, Cayetano also met with the Filipino Community leaders in Madrid. She emphasized their importance in the dissemination of accurate information regarding the government’s policies, goals and projects, then encouraged the Filipinos in attendance to be part of the change and progress that the President wants to achieve for the country, and hailed their courage and dedication in the name of their families and their country.
Ambassador Philippe J. Lhuillier echoed the call of Congresswoman Cayetano and stressed that the involvement of Filipinos abroad in achieving the goals of the government is of critical importance. He also presented his plans as the country´s new Ambassador to Spain, and urged them to lend to the Embassy their usual support and cooperation. Finally, he stressed that he maintains an “open door” policy as far as OFWs are concerned and emphasized that any Filipino who wants to see him for any concern is free to call on him anytime. After the meeting, the Ambassador invited the Filipinos’ attendance at his official residence for a merienda-cena.
For more information, visit www.madripe.dfa.gov.ph/ www.philembassymadrid.com or https://www.facebook.com/embfilipinasmadrid. END
