ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Embassies at Work devider Embassy of the State of Qatar in PH celebrates Qatar National Day

Embassy of the State of Qatar in PH celebrates Qatar National Day

Published Jan 12, 2026 01:16 pm
The ceremonial cutting of the celebratory cake was led by, from left, Ambassador Faisal Ebraheem Alajrafi Alghamdi of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia; Undersecretary Leo Herrera-Lim; Ambassador Ahmed bin Saad Al-Homidi; H.E. Mohammed Rida El-Fassi, ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco and deputy dean of the Diplomatic Corps in the Philippines; Ambassador Meshari Yousef Muhammad Al-Nibari of the Embassy of Kuwait; and Ambassador Mounir Y.K. Anastas of the Embassy of Palestine.
The ceremonial cutting of the celebratory cake was led by, from left, Ambassador Faisal Ebraheem Alajrafi Alghamdi of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia; Undersecretary Leo Herrera-Lim; Ambassador Ahmed bin Saad Al-Homidi; H.E. Mohammed Rida El-Fassi, ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco and deputy dean of the Diplomatic Corps in the Philippines; Ambassador Meshari Yousef Muhammad Al-Nibari of the Embassy of Kuwait; and Ambassador Mounir Y.K. Anastas of the Embassy of Palestine.
The Embassy of the State of Qatar in the Republic of the Philippines commemorated the National Day of the State of Qatar 2025, celebrated annually on Dec. 18, with a distinguished ceremony attended by senior officials of the Philippine government, members of the diplomatic corps, prominent personalities, and esteemed guests.
Guest of honor Leo Herrera-Lim, undersecretary for policy of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, graced the occasion, joined by His Excellency Ambassador Mohammed Rida El-Fassi, ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco and deputy dean of the Diplomatic Corps in the Philippines, and Dennis John Briones, deputy chief of presidential protocol, together with other distinguished officials.
Delivering the keynote address, His Excellency Ahmed bin Saad Al-Homidi, ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of the Philippines, highlighted the theme and logo of this year’s celebration, inspired by the Qatari flag. He underscored the achievements realized under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, may Allah protect him, which have strengthened Qatar’s role as a global actor and a trusted partner in advancing security, stability, and development.
Leo Herrera-Lim, undersecretary for migration affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs
Leo Herrera-Lim, undersecretary for migration affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs
H.E. Ahmed bin Saad Al-Homidi, ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of the Philippines, delivers his welcome message
H.E. Ahmed bin Saad Al-Homidi, ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of the Philippines, delivers his welcome message
Ambassador Al-Homidi emphasized that the celebration embodies the values of loyalty, unity, and pride in Qatari identity, drawing inspiration from the Qatar National Vision 2030, founded on innovation, participation, and creativity. He recalled the successful state visit of His Highness to the Philippines in April 2024, which elevated bilateral relations to a new strategic level and opened broader avenues for cooperation across diverse fields.
He further highlighted the enduring friendship between Qatar and the Philippines, rooted in historical and humanitarian ties. The ambassador expressed deep appreciation for the contributions of Filipino workers in Qatar, recognizing their vital role in the nation’s development journey. He also extended gratitude to the Philippine government for its continued cooperation in strengthening bilateral relations.
On his part, Undersecretary Leo Herrera-Lim conveyed warm congratulations to the State of Qatar on its National Day. He reflected on the historic significance of the occasion, commemorating the unification of Qatari tribes in 1878 under the leadership of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani. He praised Qatar’s achievements and its role in promoting peace, stability, and prosperity, while reaffirming the depth of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Qatar, which have flourished for over four decades since 1981.
From left: Hasan Mehanna Al-Ajmi, Abdulla Salem Khowar, Saeed Mohammed Al Qeetani, Assistant Secretary Germinia V. Aguilar-Usudan of the DFA for Middle East and African Affairs, Assistant Secretary Ezzedin H. Tago of DFA Migration Affairs, and Ambassador Ahmed Saad Al-Homidi.
From left: Hasan Mehanna Al-Ajmi, Abdulla Salem Khowar, Saeed Mohammed Al Qeetani, Assistant Secretary Germinia V. Aguilar-Usudan of the DFA for Middle East and African Affairs, Assistant Secretary Ezzedin H. Tago of DFA Migration Affairs, and Ambassador Ahmed Saad Al-Homidi.
Undersecretary Herrera-Lim also acknowledged the contributions of the Filipino community in Qatar to the strengthening of bilateral ties. He expressed the Philippines’ commitment to further enhancing cooperation with Qatar in areas such as tourism, sports, climate action, trade, investments, and more. He cited the second round of political consultations between the two countries’ ministries of foreign affairs, held in Manila in May 2025, where opportunities for collaboration in energy, defense, health, education, youth, labor, and the economy were discussed, with hopes of achieving tangible outcomes in the years ahead. He concluded by extending renewed congratulations to the leadership and people of Qatar, wishing them continued progress and prosperity.
The celebration was also attended by Assistant Secretary Germinia Usudan of the DFA for Middle East and African Affairs, along with heads and representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited to the Republic of the Philippines.
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.