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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos lauds DFA for ensuring well-organized overseas trips

Marcos lauds DFA for ensuring well-organized overseas trips

Published Jul 19, 2023 06:40 am
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has lauded the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for the complicated yet quiet work they do for the country, especially for ensuring that his overseas trips go smoothly.
*President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (RTVM screenshot)*

Marcos said this as he hosted the DFA's 125th Anniversary celebration in Malacañang on Wednesday afternoon, July 19. In his short speech, the President apologized for "gatecrashing" the event as he was not scheduled to attend. However, he said he felt he had to go to the event to express his appreciation to the DFA. "I'm so sorry for the gatecrashing. But I think I can qualify as not "gatecrashing" because we are, after all, where I live. So I'm actually your host," he said, earning the laughter of the officials from the DFA. "I'm very, very happy to be able to stand here before you and say that thanks to your very hard work, very skilled work, these trips that we have taken have been quite successful. They have been so well put together," he added. Marcos was referring to his overseas trips, which, according to him, were well-organized. "When I get there, I'm properly briefed, I have good information, maayos ang takbo (it runs smoothly). All I have to do is make papogi (show off) to everybody because you did the legwork for me already," he said. "With that, I hope you realize how appreciative we all are for the very difficult, sometimes extremely complicated, and always quiet work that you do," he added. The President has made 14 overseas trips since he assumed office in June 2022: 1. Jakarta and Bogor, Indonesia (State Visit, Sept. 4-6, 2022) 2. Singapore (State Visit, Sept. 6-7, 2022) 3. New York, USA (Working Visit, Sept. 18-24, 2022) 4. Singapore (Unannounced, Oct. 1-3, 2022) 5. Phnom Penh, Cambodia (Working Visit, Nov. 9-13, 2022) 6. Bangkok, Thailand (Working Visit, Nov. 16-19, 2022) 7. Brussels and Schaerbeek, Belgium (Working Visit, Dec. 12-14, 2022) 8. Beijing, China (State Visit, Jan. 3-6, 2023) 9. Davos and Zurich, Switzerland (Working Visit, Jan. 15-20, 2023) 10. Tokyo, Japan (Working Visit, Feb. 8-12, 2023) 11. Washington D.C., US (Official Visit, April 30-May 4, 2023) 12. London, United Kindom (Official Visit, May 5-6, 2023) 13. Labuan Bajo, Indonesia (Working Visit, May 9-11, 2023)
In his speech, the President said that having "traveled a great deal" with his mother, the former First Lady Imelda Marcos, he clearly knows the work people from the DFA do. "I have a very clear idea of how much work is done by our foreign stations and the people that inhabit those foreign stations and how much you are expected to do with sometimes very little," Marcos said. "That's why when I see these trips that we have been taking, when I see the preparations and how professionally they are done, and how professionally the conduct of these visits go on, with the guidance that I get from our diplomats, our different ambassadors, ConGens (consuls general), and people in each of the stations, I always feel very well-equipped, and I always feel that I'm lucky to have that kind of support that is professional)," he added. According to Malacañang, this year's celebration highlights the values and goals of the DFA in upholding the Philippines' interest since its establishment on June 23, 1898. It said that the anniversary recognizes the contributions of various employees for their commendable efforts to overseas Filipinos worldwide and confers the 2023 Gawad Mabini on those who have shown acts of merit reflective of the traditions of the country's foreign service.

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Bongbong Marcos DFA Department of Foreign Affairs overseas trip President Marcos
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