23 July 2015 - On behalf of Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. Del Rosario conferred the Order of Sikatuna, Rank of Grand Cross, Gold Distinction (Datu, Katangiang Ginto) to outgoing French Ambassador Gilles Garachon at the Department of Foreign Affairs. A citation, signed by President Aquino and awarded to Ambassador Garachon, recognized the Ambassador’s “important contributions in further broadening and strengthening bilateral relations between the Republic of the Philippines and the French Republic.”

Since Ambassador Garachon’s arrival in the Philippines in 2012, he has played a significant role in promoting high-level exchanges of visits between the Philippines and France. The trip of President Aquino to France from September 17 to 18, 2014 was the first official visit of a Philippine Head of State to France since 1994. Similarly, the historic state visit to the Philippines of President François Hollande from February 26 to 27 was the first ever by a French Head of State.

During the Ambassador’s tour-of-duty, the Philippines and France have either concluded, signed or started negotiations of bilateral agreements related to the economy, tourism, culture, sustainable development, climate change, education and research, among other areas of meaningful cooperation. The issuance of the Joint Declaration on Enhanced Partnership between the Philippines and France and the joint Manila Call to Action on Climate Change in February 2015 is indicative of the deepening bilateral relations between the two countries and the diversification of cooperation in other areas of mutual concern.

Ambassador Garachon also played a significant role in facilitating and managing France’s humanitarian assistance to the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November 2013.

Department of Foreign Affairs officials led by Undersecretary for Policy Evan P. Garcia, Undersecretary for International Economic Relations Laura Q. Del Rosario, and Office of European Affairs Assistant Secretary Maria Cleofe Natividad, as well as personal guests of Ambassador Garachon, attended the conferment ceremony. END