24 June 2016 – Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Leah M. Basinang-Ruiz paid a farewell call on the President of the Lebanese Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Tammam Salam, on June 15 at the Prime Minister’s headquarters in Grand Serail, Downtown Beirut also known as the Government Palace.

Ambassador Ruiz conveyed the warm greetings of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and also her deepest appreciation for the Prime Minister’s strong support for the Embassy’s efforts to promote intensified collaboration and deeper mutual understanding and appreciation between the Filipino and the Lebanese peoples.

She cited the Lebanese Government’s valuable collaboration with the Philippine Government’s efforts to repatriate its Filipinos from Syria via Beirut, which has been going on since December 2012. She informed him that the Embassy was also able to successfully conduct the overseas voting by registered Filipinos for 30 days from April 09 up to the May 09 National Elections in the Philippines.

She highlighted the Prime Minister’s strong support for the on-going negotiations on the draft Standard Employment Contract (SEC) for the deployment of Filipino household service workers in Lebanon and reiterated the Embassy’s deep appreciation for the active collaboration of the Ministry of Labor in this regard.

Finally, she conveyed her gratitude for the friendship and cooperation given to her by the Lebanese government and its people and her best wishes for the continued success and health of Prime Minister Tammam Salam. END