18 February 2015 –Philippine Consul General in Manado and Ambassador-designate to Brazil Jose D.R. Burgos represented President Benigno S. Aquino III at the inauguration of Brazil’s re-elected President Dilma Vana Rousseff. The Philippines was one of the more than 60 countries which sent delegations to the inauguration ceremony at the capital city of Brasilia on New Year’s Day, 01 January 2015. The ceremony was significant and important to the Brazilian people for it marked an era of continuous nation-building program and reform by President Rousseff’s second term of office.
Brazil, being the 7th largest economy and the 5th largest country in the world, offers big opportunities to the Philippines in business and trade, agriculture, tourism, cultural exchange, and knowledge exchange in poverty alleviation and livelihood programs. Brazil is host to the World Olympics 2016, which will gather hundreds of thousands of athletes and visitors all over the world. President Aquino and the Filipino people’s gestures of warm greetings and goodwill were manifested by the attendance to the ceremony of Consul General Burgos.
The Consul General met several high officials of the Brazilian Government and ASEAN diplomatic missions in Brazil. He also met with the officers and staff of the Philippine Embassy in Brasilia, led by Charge d’ Affaires, and First Secretary and Vice Consul Eric P. Valenzuela. Brazilian Foreign Ministry First Secretary Sergio Carvalho assisted Consul General Burgos during the ceremony and short visit to Brasilia. END