PH Envoy Makes Farewell Audience with His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam
Ambassador Meynardo LB. Montealegre (left) during his farewell audience with Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, at Istana Nurul Iman on 15 May 2018. (Photo courtesy of the Information Department, Prime Minister’s Office of Brunei Darussalam).
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 30 May 2018 – Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Meynardo LB. Montealegre made his farewell audience with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, at Istana Nurul Iman on 15 May 2018.
During his audience with His Majesty The Sultan, Ambassador Montealegre expressed his sincere appreciation to Brunei Darussalam for the warm friendship and strong support it extended to the Philippines over the years. He noted that the close cooperation between the Philippines and Brunei even before the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1984 greatly contributed to the excellent state of bilateral ties between the Philippines and Brunei to date.
The Ambassador also underscored the milestone events that further deepened the friendship and goodwill between the Philippines and Brunei, highlighted by the recent exchanges of high-level visits such as, among others, the attendance of President Rodrigo R. Duterte at the Golden Jubilee Celebration of His Majesty The Sultan’s Accession to the Throne in October 2017; the State Visit of President Duterte to Brunei in October 2016; His Majesty’s State Visit to the Philippines and attendance at the 30th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in April 2017, and the 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in November 2017, respectively held in the Philippines.
Ambassador Montealegre likewise thanked His Majesty for Brunei Darussalam’s full support for the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship last year, and for its active participation in the ASEAN Summits and related meetings held in the country.
He also conveyed the Philippine Government’s appreciation for the Brunei Government’s continued and active involvement in the peace process in Mindanao, particularly its participation as a member of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) and the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB).
Moreover, he thanked His Majesty and his Government for its hospitality and accommodation accorded to the more than 20,000 Filipinos living and working in Brunei Darussalam, many of whom consider the country as their second home.
For his part, His Majesty The Sultan expressed satisfaction on the strong bilateral ties between the Philippines and Brunei, as well as the closeness of its leaders. He conveyed his appreciation to the Ambassador for fostering the excellent relations between Philippines and Brunei during the more than three years of his diplomatic assignment in the country.
His Majesty also thanked the Philippine Government for taking good care of the Brunei contingent to the IMT, and conveyed his appreciation for the contribution of Filipino workers to Brunei’s economy, mentioning in particular that many of those are working at the Palace (Istana Nurul Iman).
His Majesty likewise conveyed his best wishes for the continued good health and success of President Duterte, and to the prosperity of the Philippines and the well-being of the Filipino people.
Ambassador Montealegre is the ninth ambassador to serve in Brunei Darussalam since the establishment of diplomatic relations on 01 January 1984. Prior to his foreign assignment in Brunei, he was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Hellenic Republic with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Cyprus from September 2011 to March 2015. END
Ambassador Meynardo LB. Montealegre (left) presenting to His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the Philippine Embassy’s photobook, “Nurturing Philippines-Brunei Ties: Economic and Cultural Diplomacy Program of the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Brunei Darussalam, 2015-2017,” and a photograph of a picturesque scene at the Luagan Lalak Forest Recreation Park in Labi, Brunei personally taken by the Ambassador, showing the serenity and tranquility of Brunei Darussalam. (Photo courtesy of the Information Department, Prime Minister’s Office of Brunei Darussalam).
For more information, visit www.bruneipe.dfa.gov.ph / www.philippine-embassybrunei.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHinBrunei/.