13 August 2013- The Philippine Embassy in Athens, Greece commemorated the “ASEAN Week,” by conducting a flag raising ceremony of the ASEAN flag alongside the Philippine flag on August 07.
The raising of the ASEAN Flag, accompanied by the ASEAN Hymn, followed the raising of the Philippine Flag. The flag raising ceremony was followed by “Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat.”
Ambassador Meynardo LB. Montealegre gave a brief speech focusing on the relevance of ASEAN then and now. From a political association, the regional grouping through the years grew stronger and developed into a more people-oriented regional organization with two additional community pillars --- the Economic Community and the Socio-Cultural Community.
Ambassador Montealegre stressed that ASEAN remains significant today, especially to the Philippines. All ASEAN Member States are working to draft a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea in order to help maintain peace and security in the region.
From 29 to 30 June 2013, the four ASEAN Member States with diplomatic missions in Greece (Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam) commemorated the 46th Anniversary of ASEAN through a two-day ASEAN Bowling Tournament and Fun Games. The Philippine Embassy won first place in the bowling tournament, tug-of-war, and children’s games. The Philippines also won third place in the individual sack race event, where Indonesia won first and second place. END
