By Raynald C Rivera
DOHA: As the Philippine embassy concludes a productive year, Ambassador Wilfredo C Santos looks forward to continuing promoting the interests of Overseas Filipinos here and strengthening relations with Qatar.
“As ambassador, it is my duty and responsibility to protect and promote the interests of the Philippines and Filipinos in Qatar,” Santos said in his year-end message to compatriots.
In eight months since Santos took the helm of the mission, the embassy has witnessed remarkable strides in various fields, including the launch of Kulinarya Qatar, a unique brand/movement to promote the Philippines as a tourist and business destination through Filipino cuisine.
The past several months also saw a number of visits to Qatar by Philippine business delegations which conducted meetings with Qatar Chamber and their Qatari counterparts.
“True to my earlier pledge to intensify the embassy’s economic diplomacy thrust, I look forward to more exchanges between Filipino and Qatari businessmen in 2016 for the benefit of our trade and economic relations with Qatar,” said the ambassador.
Many Philippine government officials also visited Qatar, including from the Department of Agriculture, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, the Department of Transportation and Communications, the Civil Aviation Board, the Department of Tourism, the Department of Labour and Employment, the Department of Justice, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Health, DTI and the House of Representatives.
“Such visits signify the strength of our country’s relations with Qatar and we aim to further increase such interactions among our government officials in line with our efforts for more active bilateral relations in 2016,” he stressed.
The embassy also focused on the promotion of culture in the Qatari and the wider foreign community, by hosting events such as a performance of Ballet Philippines, the screening of the acclaimed Filipino film Heneral Luna and its participation in the first Asean Festival at Katara.
Surpassing the target number of registrants for the upcoming presidential elections is among the embassy’s accomplishments this year. “As the 2016 presidential elections is fast approaching, I am also happy to report that we have exceeded our target of 16,000 registrants for the overseas voting registration by registering 17,501 overseas Filipinos and 1,152 applications for transfer, reactivation and correction of other entries as of October 31, 2015,” he said, hoping the figures would translate into huge turnout during the election.
In terms of services, the passport application process is now more convenient with the passport delivery service by Qatar Postal Services Company rolled out two months ago as a result of an agreement signed between the embassy and QPost.
“This is just the beginning of many changes and initiatives that will benefit not just Filipinos in Qatar, but the Philippines in general. As we prepare ourselves for coming challenges and opportunities to be presented by 2016, we need your support, patience and understanding in this journey.”
The embassy yesterday observed Rizal Day, a national holiday which marks the 119th anniversary of the martyrdom of Philippine National Hero Dr Jose Rizal.
Santos said: “It is important for Filipinos to continue commemorating this special occasion because it is important for us not to forget the sacrifices of our heroes, our forebears in fighting for our liberty against oppression.
“Rizal was a man of peace. He was a man of letters. He was not really a revolutionary in the traditional sense but his ideals kept the fire for revolution, for change, for liberty and encouraged our countrymen to fight for a cause that eventually led to the establishment of the first Philippine Republic.
“So Rizal is on top of the pantheon of Filipino heroes and is remembered not only in our country but throughout the world where there are Filipinos.”
The Peninsula
