ASEAN Community Pantry organized by the PH launches in Dili
The five resident ASEAN missions in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, namely the Kingdom of Brunei, the Republic of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of the Philippines, and the Kingdom of Thailand, joined together to launch the first ever ASEAN Community Pantry in Dili, Timor-Leste on Aug. 3, 2021.
The ASEAN Community Pantry was organized by the Philippine Embassy in Dili and invited ASEAN resident missions in Timor-Leste to come together in one location to provide help to locals. On this day alone, around 150 people benefitted from the initiative.
The ASEAN Community Pantry is in line with the 54th ASEAN Month celebration aimed at fostering stronger goodwill between the ASEAN and the Timorese people.
Meanwhile, the Community Pantry in Timor-Leste (CPTL), an initiative wholly managed and operated by the personnel of the Philippine Embassy in Dili and their dependents, together with a small core group of Timorese locals, has now benefitted more than 1,500 Timorese individuals in the capital district of Dili and Timor-Leste’s largest district of Viqueque between April 20 to Aug. 3, 2021.
The CPTL was a response of the Philippine Embassy to the damage and hardship caused by the Cyclone Seroja in Dili on April 4, 2021 and the “mandatory confinement” of Dili from March to June 2021 due to the COVID-19 surge.
The Community Pantry in Timor-Leste (CPTL), an initiative wholly managed and operated by the personnel of the Philippine Embassy in Dili and their dependents, together with a small core group of Timorese locals, has now benefitted more than 1,500 Timorese individuals in the capital district of Dili.
CPTL’s donors are Filipinos based in Timor-Leste and from the Philippines, and its partners include the national police force of Timor-Leste, the Policia Nacional Timor-Leste (PNTL), among others. CPTL was also able to organize up to 100 local Timorese youth volunteers for its pantry operations.
Aside from the community pantry, the Philippine Embassy in Dili also launched the first ever large-scale collaborative artwork between Filipino and Timorese artists on Aug. 6, 2021 at the embassy grounds.
The mural was designed by artist Ang Gerilya, the group behind Lagusnilad’s art project
and other major projects in the Philippines. The design was then painted by Gembel Art
Collective of Dili, a group of young and self-taught Timorese artists.
The event was graced by Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta, Timor-Leste’s former president, prime minister, foreign minister, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Also in attendance were officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, diplomats from the ASEAN missions in Dili, IOM chief of mission Ihma Shareef. It was attended by more than 50 members of the Filipino community and guests.
The event is part of the embassy’s effort to promote Philippine culture in Timor-Leste, highlight local artists in the Philippines, and empower artists in Timor-Leste, to strengthen people-to-people relations among Filipino, Timorese, and the ASEAN community.