It was a busy Wednesday, Aug. 17, for Vice President Sara Duterte after she hosted a meeting with a handful of ambassadors during a series of courtesy calls at the Department of Education (DepEd) central office in Pasig City.
Duterte, who serves as DepEd secretary in a concurrent capacity, met four ambassadors from Italy, Ireland, Vietnam, and Laos to discuss future cooperation between the Philippines and these nations.
The Vice President first met on Wednesday morning with Italian Ambassador to the Philippines Marco Clemente, followed by Irish Ambassador William John Carlos.
Clemente said Italy “has so much to offer as far as culture is concerned” as he felt the responsibility to open possibilities for the younger generation.
The youth can be “exposed” to “something they don’t see very often,” he stressed.
The Italian ambassador specifically cited the exposure of young people to classical drama theater, music and opera as part of their education.
Carlos, for his part, said they discussed future partnerships in the areas of education, where the Philippines and Ireland can build “stronger linkages.”
“We are looking at great opportunities to engage both in political and cultural but also in thematic level in education where we can share our experiences in terms of what we are doing here,” he said.
After the two envoys, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Hoang Huy Chung and Lao Ambassador Songkane Luangmuninthone also paid their courtesy calls to Duterte at the same venue.
Chung said that Vietnam will keep its “strategic partnership” with the Philippine government.
“I promised to her that Vietnam and Philippines, we’re very close to each other. And Vietnam is always beside Philippines,” the envoy said in a media interview.
Duterte revealed that her Vietnamese counterpart, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, has plans to visit again the Philippines, specifically Metro Manila and Davao City, her home town.
“We’ll work on that with his excellency, the ambassador,” the Vice President said, referring to Chung, whom she thanked for his visit.
On July 1, Xuan had a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as part of her visit to the country to attend the latter’s swearing in ceremony.
She conveyed congratulations from President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Vietnamese leaders to the Philippine President.