06 November 2015 - The Philippine Embassy in Mexico successfully participated in the ASEAN Week at the Mexican Senate, held from October 27 to 30.
The week-long celebration was organized in cooperation with the Senate Commission on Asia-Pacific Relations, chaired by Senator Teofilo Torres Corzo. The Philippine Embassy, as chair of the ASEAN Committee in Mexico City (ACMC), coordinated the participation of the other resident missions from the ASEAN region, including the Embassies of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
ASEAN Week opened on October 27 with an inauguration ceremony and photo exhibition in the Patio of the Senate, displaying scenes of each participating country’s culture and development. The event was attended by Senator Luis Sánchez Jiménez, Vice-President of the Senate Executive Board; members of the diplomatic corps; Senate staff; students and academics; and staff of the ASEAN embassies.
During the inauguration ceremony, Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Catalino R. Dilem, Jr. delivered a speech highlighting the progress ASEAN has made as an organization, with a special focus on the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community. He also thanked the Senate for hosting the ASEAN Week and for helping the ACMC enhance awareness of ASEAN among the Mexican public.
Ambassador Dilem also acknowledged the work done by his colleagues in the ACMC: Malaysian Ambassador Mohammad Azhar bin Mazlan, Indonesian Ambassador Yusra Khan, Vietnamese Ambassador Le Lin Lanh, and Thai Ambassador Surasak Chuasukonthip.
In his speech, Senator Torres Corzo stated that Mexico recognizes ASEAN as a priority partner and emphasized the growing economic importance of ASEAN as the second-largest economy in Asia, with its huge potential market of over 600 million consumers. Senator Torres Corzo added that developing closer ties with ASEAN in terms of trade, infrastructure, investment, education, tourism, culture, and sports is clearly in Mexico’s interest.
The inauguration ceremony culminated in a series of cultural performances from each of the ASEAN Embassies, with the Philippine Embassy presenting a rendition of the binasuan dance by Ms. Opalyn dela Cruz Ceron. The guests were then invited to sample traditional dishes from around the ASEAN region.
After the inauguration, the five ASEAN Ambassadors participated in a joint conference on the history and future direction of ASEAN. The audience consisted of Mexican government officials, representatives from the diplomatic corps, and college students. After discussing ASEAN’s principles, structure, and objectives, each of the ASEAN Ambassadors fielded questions regarding the region and their individual countries.
For the remainder of the ASEAN Week, the five Embassies ran individual conferences and workshops exploring the culture of their respective countries: the Embassies of Thailand and Indonesia offered culinary demonstrations, while the Embassies of Vietnam and Malaysia hosted conferences on their tourism and culture. The Philippine Embassy offered an interactive workshop on Filipino martial arts, wherein Third Secretary and Vice Consul Mikhal de Dios taught practical applications of arnis de mano. END