08 January  2016 –Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Catalino R. Dilem, Jr. turned over the chairmanship of the ASEAN Committee in Mexico City (ACMC) to the Thai Ambassador Surasak Chuasukonthip on January 04.

In a meeting held at the Philippine Embassy, Ambassador Dilem formally ended his term, with Ambassador Chusasukonthip assuming his duties as the new Chairman.

Present at the meeting were the other members of the ACMC: Malaysian Ambassador  Mohamad bin Mazlan, Vietnamese Ambassador Le Linh Lan, and Second Secretary Febby Fahrani, representing Indonesian Ambassador Yusra Khan.

During Ambassador Dilem’s chairmanship from March 13, 2015 to January 04, 2016, the ACMC organized and participated in numerous activities, including panels and seminars at academic institutions, a series of radio interviews, and a charitable donation of medical equipment to a children’s hospital.

Aside from these, the ASEAN Ambassadors also participated in a panel at a foreign trade conference on June 24, 2015 to promote the ASEAN region as a destination for trade, investment, and tourism.

In addition, the ACMC held a week-long celebration of ASEAN in cooperation with the Mexican Senate from October 25 to 30, 2015, which consisted of a photo exhibition and several interactive workshops on the culture and cuisine of individual ASEAN countries, all open to the general public.

Through all of its initiatives, the ACMC has continued to increase the awareness of ASEAN among Mexico’s government officials, academe and students, business sector representatives, and the general public. END