05 March 2015 – Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Catalino R. Dilem, Jr. met with former Mexican Ambassador to the Philippines Enrique Michel Santibañez who is the current President of the ASEAN Sector of COMCE (Consejo Empresarial Mexicano de Comercio Exterior, Inversion y Tecnologia or Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology) on February 25.  They discussed ways of furthering Philippine-Mexican relations by tapping key business partners in Mexico and forging closer relations between cities of both countries.

Ambassador Dilem also met with Director Eduardo Salcedo Campos of Parque Agua Azul, a 20 hectare property located in Guadalajara City,  to  discuss the technical details of the proposed donation by the Philippine Government of seedlings of Philippine native trees to Parque Agua Azul.  The park is considered as one of the most important and popular public parks in Guadalajara.

Ambassador Dilem together with Philippine Honorary Consul to Guadalajara Martin Camarena de Obeso and Administrative Officer Bernardo Bagalay participated in an institutional tour on the processes involving the manufacture of tequila.  It was organized by the Camara Nacional de la Industria Tequileria represented by Dr. Jaime Augusto Villalobos Diaz and Lic. Claudia Uribe Garcia. The visit held at the Municipality of Tequila in Jalisco provided the participants with the technical as well as the legal aspects of tequila production. 

Ambassador Dilem also held a coordination meeting with the Honorary Consul where trade, cultural, consular and  administrative matters were thoroughly discussed.  As part of this Embassy’s cultural diplomacy program, the artwork donated by Philippine artist Manuel Baldemor was turned over to Honorary Consul Camarena de Obeso. The painting entitled “Nightmare Visions and the Great Elemental Force by the Sea” will be officially donated to the Municipality of Cihuatlán in ceremonies to be held in Barra de Navidad in June 2015. After the meeting, the coffee table book “The Best of the Philippines” provided by the Department of Tourism was handed over to the Philippine Honorary Consul. END