09 July 2014 – Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Catalino R. Dilem, Jr. visited Guadalajara, the capital city of the state of Jalisco, in order to conduct economic and cultural diplomacy activities.
Ambassador Dilem was accompanied by Vice-Consul Mikhal C. de Dios, and the visit was coordinated with the Philippine Honorary Consul in Guadalajara, Lic. Martín Camarena de Obeso, and Honorary Vice-Consul Martha Mejia.
In the morning of July 4, the Ambassador met with Dr. José Luis Leal Sanabria and Dr. Jaime Olveda of the Colegio de Jalisco; Prof. Thomas Calvo and Dr. Paulina Machuca of the Colegio de Michoacan; Dr. Juan Manuel Dúran, Director of the Biblioteca Pública del Estado de Jalisco; and a representative of the Secretaria de Cultura del Gobierno del Estado de Jalisco.
The representatives discussed two international academic seminars on Filipino-Mexican historic relations being organized by the Colegio de Michoacån: the Congreso Internacional “450 Años Del Viaje de Miguel Lopez de Legazpi a las Filipinas” which will be held from November 24 to 25 and Seminario Internacional “Año de la Fraternidad México-Filipinas” which will be held from November 27 to 28. Both events will take place in Guadalajara, Jalisco.
Each of these conferences will be attended by Filipino academic experts in Philippine-Mexican history, and include participants from the University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, Ateneo de Manila, and the Institute of Philippine Culture. Attendees from universities around Mexico, and from Singapore and Hawaii are also expected. Ambassador Dilem was invited to deliver an inaugural speech.
Dr. Paulina Machuca of the Colegio de Michoacan, a noteworthy scholar of Philippine-Mexican historical relations, then presented Ambassador Dilem with her own work, a documentary DVD entitled, “Hacer Tuba en México y Filipinas: Cuatro Siglos de Historia Compartida” [Making Tuba in Mexico and the Philippines: Four Centuries of Shared History]. Dr. Machuca also presented a scholarly article she co-authored with Dr. Thomas Calvo entitled, “El Santo Niño de Cebú entre costa y costa: de Filipinas a Nueva España (1565-1787)” [The Santo Niño of Cebu between coasts: from the Philippines to New Spain (1565-1787)]
In the afternoon, Ambassador Dilem met with Mr. Francisco Beckmann González and Mr. Carlos David Ibarra Rubio, the President and Director-General, respectively, of the Camara de Comercio, Servicios, y Turismo de Guadalajara.
During the meeting, the Ambassador extended an invitation to all the Chambers’ members to attend the upcoming Manila FAME exhibition in October 2014, and promoted the Philippine furniture and house ware industries. Mr. Beckmann González offered to promote the Manila FAME 2014 event in their members’ bulletin, and recommended the premises of the Chamber of Commerce as a venue for any potential events that the Philippine Embassy might propose.
Ambassador Dilem also had the opportunity to visit the monument in Guadalajara commemorating the voyage in 1564 of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Fray Andres Urdaneta to the Philippine islands and recognizing the ties of brotherhood established between the Philippines and Mexico.
Later in the day, the Embassy officials and honorary consular officials met with Lic. Luxberto Romero, Manager for Design and Certification, and Mr. Víctor Ernesto Gutiérrez Peña, both representing Placencia Muebles, a nationwide furniture distributor and retailer based in Guadalajara.
Ambassdor Dilem informed the Placencia Muebles representatives of Manila FAME 2014, and promoted the design talents and product range of the Philippine furniture sector. The Placencia Muebles representatives were also provided with the promotional materials for the FAME event. END