05 June 2015 – Philippine Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Meynardo LB. Montealegre presented his credentials before His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, at the Istana Nurul Iman on May 21.
His Majesty the Sultan congratulated Ambassador Montealegre on his appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Brunei Darussalam, and expressed his optimism to meeting President Aquino during the APEC meetings in Manila.
Ambassador Montealegre expressed his appreciation to His Majesty for Brunei's hospitality in hosting some 23,000 Filipinos in the country and highlighted his keen interest in enhancing bilateral relations between the Philippines and Brunei.
For his part, the Sultan expressed satisfaction with the very close bilateral relations between the Philippines and Brunei and conveyed his appreciation for the contribution of Filipinos to Brunei’s economy.
They also discussed recent developments in Philippine-Brunei bilateral relations particularly the Brunei Government’s continued commitment to the peace process in southern Philippines, notably through Brunei’s active participation in the International Monitoring Team (IMT) in Mindanao, and providing an expert who became part of the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) which oversees the decommissioning process of the MILF forces and arms.
Prior to Ambassador Montealegre’s presentation of credentials before His Majesty, he was granted an audience with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, at the Balai Penghadapan, Bukit Kayangan in Bandar Seri Begawan. They discussed issues of mutual concern to the Philippines and Brunei, including the Brunei Government’s continued and active involvement in the peace process in Mindanao, as well as the Philippines’ requests for support to candidatures put forward by the Philippine Government.
After the presentation of credentials, Ambassador Montealegre met with the Embassy personnel at the Chancery on May 21 and attended a fellowship with Filipino community leaders on May 22.
Ambassador Montealegre is the ninth ambassador to serve in Brunei Darussalam since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Brunei on January 1, 1984. Prior to his foreign assignment in Brunei, he was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Hellenic Republic with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Cyprus. END
