19 August 2014 – Philippine Consul General Gina A. Jamoralin together with Brigadier General Raul del Rosario, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans (J5), hosted an Aloha Reception for the delegates to the Philippines-United States Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) Executive Committee (Execom) Meeting on August 12 at the Philippine Consulate General.
Close to 130 individuals from the Philippine and US delegations attended the reception, an evening filled with Filipino food, entertainment, fellowship and a commitment from the Philippines and the United States for a closer, deeper bilateral partnership.
In her welcome remarks, Consul General Jamoralin conveyed that she was “no stranger to the strong alliance between two treaty allies, and our relentless efforts to nurture and enhance this relationship” as she was the Assistant Secretary for American Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs prior to assuming her current position as Consul General. She also said that with the recent signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), Philippines-US relationship would become more responsive to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
Brigadier Gen Raul Del Rosario, head of Philippine delegation to the MDB-SEB Execom Meeting, and Brigadier General Burt Thompson, Deputy Director of Strategic Planning and Policy (J5) of the PACOM, also gave their remarks during the program.
The MDB-SEB Execom Meeting, conducted in Honolulu, Hawaii from 11 to 13 August was co-chaired by the staffs in-charge of plans of both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the PACOM. It was held prior to the annual meeting of the MDB and SEB in the Philippines which will be co-chaired by the AFP’s Chief of Staff and the Commander of the PACOM. END