24 March 2015 – Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Catalino R. Dilem, Jr. visited the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León, from March 08 to 10 to promote relations between the Philippines and Mexico. The three-day visit was facilitated by the Philippine Honorary Consul in Monterrey, Engineer Francisco Cué. The Ambassador was accompanied by Third Secretary and Vice-Consul Mikhal de Dios.
During his visit, Ambassador Dilem paid courtesy calls on the Office of the Governor of Nuevo León State, as well as the Office of the Mayor of Monterrey. The Ambassador briefed the state and city officials on Philippine-Mexico relations, including the existing ties between Monterrey and Olongapo. The Nuevo León state officials, for their part, invited the Philippine Embassy to participate in the annual Festival Santa Lucia, a three-week international cultural fair held in Monterrey every September.
Ambassador Dilem also included a meeting with the Filipino community during his time in Monterrey, during which he talked with several Filipino nationals and their Mexican spouses and families. He informed them of recent developments in the Philippines, noted the importance of their remittances to the country’s economy, and provided them with pointers on financial responsibility.
The Ambassador was the guest at a lunch of the Consular Corps of Monterrey, where he delivered a presentation on the Philippines. He described the country’s economic development and its historical and present-day bilateral relations with Mexico. The Ambassador also promoted Philippine tourism, and the country’s natural and cultural attractions. He ended his presentation with a video from the Department of Tourism in line to publicize the “Visit Philippines 2015 Year”.
Nuevo León is one of Mexico’s northernmost states with a population of 4.9 million inhabitants. It is also the most affluent Mexican state and is one of the top industrial centers in Mexico. Its capital city, Monterrey, is the 5th most visited locale in the country, receiving around 1.8 million visitors annually. END