28 October 2014 - Philippine Ambassador to South Africa Joseph Gerard B. Angeles presented his Letters of Credence accrediting him as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Philippines to the Republic of South Africa, to His Excellency Jacob G. Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa, at Sefako M Makgatho Presidential Guest House on October 16.  Ambassador Angeles is the sixth Philippine Ambassador to South Africa.

During the event, Ambassador Angeles conveyed to President Zuma the greetings of President Benigno S. Aquino and expressed his hope that his tenure can contribute substantively to further strengthening the excellent relations between the two countries.

Ambassador Angeles also recalled that the Philippines has been and continues to be a staunch supporter of the South African people.  He recalled that when President Mandela undertook a state visit to the Philippines in March 1997, Mandela told his hosts, President Fidel V. Ramos and former-President Corazon C. Aquino, that he held the Philippines close to his heart for the country’s consistent opposition to apartheid in South Africa.  Mandela had said, “This is one of the countries that had been very successful in overcoming the legacy of colonialism, of poverty, of ignorance, and we stand to gain a great deal by associating with it.”

The Philippines supported the South African people even before the crucial period of transition to democracy, the strongest expression of which was the signing by the Philippines in 1974 of the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid.  END