10 September 2014 - In one of her first official functions, Philippine Ambassador to Canada Petronila P. Garcia opened the annual get-together of members of ASEAN resident missions and their families on August 30 at the Vincent Massey Park in Ottawa.
Assigned by the ASEAN Committee in Ottawa (ACO) as event coordinator, the Philippines organized the annual ACO picnic for over 200 participants with a program designed to foster a sense of common identity and solidarity within the ASEAN community in Ottawa.
In her opening remarks, Ambassador Garcia thanked the ACO Heads of Mission for extending arrival courtesies to her on 25 August 2014 and appreciated the close-knit ASEAN Committees in Third Countries (ACTs) in capitals around the globe that typify the close friendship among ASEAN member nations.
“In all my previous postings, my dearest friends invariably hail from ASEAN countries,” the Ambassador remarked. She also acknowledged the Embassy of Myanmar for organizing the volleyball tournament and the Embassy of Vietnam for coordinating the children’s games and tug of war. As the Philippines takes over the role of country coordinator for the ASEAN-Canada dialogue next year, Ambassador Garcia expressed confidence that ASEAN-Canada relations will continue to grow as Canada deepens its engagement in the ASEAN region according to the former’s foreign policy priorities.
Team-building exercises themed “We Are All Connected,” a mixed volleyball tournament, soccer and children’s games as well as a buffet of traditional ASEAN fare were among the activities programmed to instill an awareness of the region’s cultural affinity. Awards were also given to winners of the ACO volleyball, badminton and bowling tournaments organized this year by Myanmar, Indonesia and the Philippines, respectively.
“I look forward to contributing to the work of the ACO and to supporting ACO initiatives and activities,” Ambassador Garcia stated.
Minister Nantana Sivakua, Chargé d’Affaires of the Royal Thai Embassy which currently chairs the ACO, thanked the Philippines for spearheading the picnic every year and echoed Ambassador Garcia’s hopes for deeper friendships among the ASEAN missions for a stronger ASEAN community in Ottawa.
The ACO is composed of the resident missions of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam which meets regularly in Ottawa to raise the region’s profile in Canada and to collaborate on the strengthening of ASEAN’s three pillars, namely, the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC). END