ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider First Lady bids farewell to outgoing Japanese envoy Endo

First Lady bids farewell to outgoing Japanese envoy Endo

Published Aug 30, 2026 07:47 am

At A Glance

  • First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos had a final catch-up with outgoing Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya and his wife before they leave the country.
  • Araneta-Marcos thanked the couple for their friendship, warmth, and memories built during their two-and-a-half-year stay in the Philippines.
  • The farewell came as Endo concluded his tour of duty, with President Marcos recently honoring him for his role in strengthening Philippines-Japan relations.
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos poses with the blue Uniqlo polo shirt gifted to her by outgoing Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya and his wife, Madame Endo Akiko, during their farewell catch-up in her office at the PMS Building in Manila on Aug. 27, 2026. (Liza Marcos/Facebook)
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos poses with the blue Uniqlo polo shirt gifted to her by outgoing Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya and his wife, Madame Endo Akiko, during their farewell catch-up in her office at the PMS Building in Manila on Aug. 27, 2026. (Liza Marcos/Facebook)

First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos held a final catch-up with outgoing Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya and his wife Akiko at her office in Manila, as the couple prepares to wrap up their two-and-a-half-year stay in the country.

In an Instagram post on Saturday evening, Aug. 29, Araneta-Marcos thanked the Endos for their friendship and the memories they made during their stay, saying the Philippines would always be a "second home" to them.

"One last catch-up with Ambassador Endo Kazuya and Madame Endo before they wrap up their stay in the Philippines," the First Lady said.

"Thank you for the friendship, warmth and wonderful memories over the past two and a half years," she added.

The meeting, held in her office at the PMS Building on Aug. 27, featured a light conversation among the three, with the First Lady and the couple seen smiling and laughing in a video posted alongside her message.

The Endos gave Araneta-Marcos a blue Uniqlo polo shirt bearing the embroidered logo of the 70th anniversary of the Philippines-Japan Friendship Anniversary on the left breast.

The First Lady, meanwhile, gave the couple a copy of "Philippine First Ladies Portraits," written by José "Pepe" Rodríguez and painted by artist Lulu "Coching" Rodríguez.

Other keepsakes symbolizing the Philippines were also featured, including a framed map and images depicting traditional Filipino dances such as singkil, tinikling, and cariñosa.

In a Facebook post, Araneta-Marcos said they looked back on the "many special memories" the couple made in the Philippines and, more importantly, the friendships they formed during their stay.

"Thank you both for your warmth, kindness and friendship — and, of course, for the thoughtful gifts!" she said.

“I hope our little keepsakes will always remind you that you have a second home here and many friends who will be happy to welcome you back,” she added.

The farewell came a day after President Marcos honored Endo during a farewell call at Malacañang, conferring on him the Order of Sikatuna, Grand Cross with Distinction, for his contributions to strengthening Philippine-Japan relations.

Endo was recognized for promoting bilateral exchanges and deepening cooperation in defense, security, and development cooperation, as well as supporting Philippine priorities in infrastructure, education, transportation, maritime domain awareness, and human resource development.

The Presidential Communications Office also cited his efforts to advance Japan's longstanding commitment to peace and development in Mindanao, including support for the peace process, grassroots development, and the transition of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Endo, who thanked Filipinos in an Aug. 28 social media post as he ended his tour of duty, described his two-and-a-half years in the Philippines as "truly unforgettable" and said he was humbled to have served as ambassador "at the height of our two countries’ partnership."

Related Tags

First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos Liza Araneta-Marcos Endo Kazuya PH-Japan Endo Akiko
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; } }

{{ static_articles_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.