| James Kon |
THREE years will be considered by most to be quite a long time, but for outgoing Philippines Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Meynardo LB Montealegre, this period seemed to have swiftly flown by.
The ambassador said that he will be leaving the country with fond memories of the time spent with members of the Diplomatic Corps.
Montealegre was speaking at a farewell dinner reception hosted for him at The Rizqun International Hotel on Monday attended by members of the Diplomatic Corps in the country.
He said, “During my over three years of service in the country, three milestones marked the ties between Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines. First, there were exchanges of high-level visits between both countries. An example was President Rodrigo R Duterte’s visit to Brunei in 2016 for the first time, and later his visit to Brunei last year during the Golden Jubilee celebrations of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s Accession to the Throne.”
Montealegre continued, “His Majesty also made a state visit to the Philippines coinciding with the 31st ASEAN Summit 2017 in Manila. His Majesty also attended the ASEAN Summit in December 2017.”
The second milestone, Montealegre highlighted, “was the Philippines assuming the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2017, and this was followed with a number of activities carried out not only in the Philippines but also in Brunei Darussalam to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN”.
“The third milestone,” the outgoing envoy added, “is the Golden Jubilee celebration of His Majesty’s Accession to the Throne, a historic occasion which I think all of the Diplomatic Corps witnessed.
“This was a golden opportunity for the Philippines Embassy in Brunei Darussalam and the other missions here to join in the activities to commemorate the event.”
Montealegre thanked to the Government of His Majesty and the people of Brunei for the warm friendship and strong cooperation he received as ambassador of the Philippines to Brunei Darussalam.
The outgoing Ambassador made special mention of the beautiful scenery at Luagan Lalak Forest Recreation Park, Labi, Kuala Belait, commenting that “it reflects the beauty of Brunei as the ‘Abode of Peace’, where peace, serenity and tranquility is enjoyed by all its residents”.
Meanwhile, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Brunei Darussalam, Saleh Mohammed Al-Nesef, who is also Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, extended a welcome to new members of the Diplomatic Corps, namely Ambassador of Lao Phuonethavy Boutdara and his spouse, as well as Dr Sujatmiko, the Ambassador of Indonesia.
In his message to outgoing Philippines Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Meynardo LB Montealegre, Saleh Mohammed Al Nesef said, “We will always remember the time that you have shared with us in Brunei. We are forever grateful to Government of His Majesty as well as the hospitality and support from our Bruneian friends.”