SECRETARY YASAY MEETS THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN MONGOLIA
Secretary and Mme. Yasay and the Philippine delegation to the ASEM Summit are warmly welcomed by the Filipino community in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
In his first-ever meeting with a Filipino community abroad, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr. met the Filipino community in Mongolia on 16 July 2016, as the Secretary led the Philippine delegation to the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit held on 15-16 July 2016 in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar.
With Secretary Yasay during the meeting with the Filipinos in Mongolia were Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Enrique A. Manalo, Assistant Secretary for European Affairs and the Philippines’ ASEM SOM Leader Maria Cleofe Natividad, members of the Philippine delegation to the ASEM 11 Summit, officials from the Philippine Embassy in Beijing, China, which has jurisdiction over Mongolia, and Philippine Honorary Consul in Mongolia Ms. Selenge Lkhagvasuren.
Secretary Yasay responds to a concern raised by a member of the Filipino community in Mongolia. With the Secretary in photo are, from left, Mr. Jerwin Salcedo, Chairman of PInoy Mongolia; Assistant Secretary Ma. Cleofe Natividad; Mme. Cecile Joaquin-Yasay; and Undersecretary Enrique A. Manalo.
About 65 Filipinos living and working in Mongolia turned out at the Continental Hotel in the central business district of Ulaanbaatar for a dialogue with Secretary Yasay, where they expressed their concerns and posed queries on the programs and policies of the Philippine government, especially those concerning overseas Filipinos.
Left photo shows Mr. Sol William Padua of the Filipino community in Mongolia asking Secretary Yasay a question during the open forum, while photo at right shows Secretary Yasay with PH delegates to the 7th Model ASEM, Ms. Luisa Andrea Alba Garcia of De La Salle, College of Saint Benilde and Ms. Anna Theresa Pereyra Valmero of the European Youth Press.
Among those who welcomed Secretary Yasay were Bishop Wenceslao Padilla, the apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar and the first and only bishop of Mongolia; Fr. Ronald Magbanua of the Good Shepherd Parish; Fr. Philip Borla of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pastor Richel Maraat of the Cornerstone Church of All Nations and former Philippine Honorary Consul in Mongolia Bekhbat Sodnom.
Secretary Yasay poses for a souvenir photo with some members of the Filcom in Mongolia.
Filipinos in Ulaanbaatar have organized themselves into an association called Pinoy Mongolia, who meet regularly to discuss their common concerns. Pinoy Mongolia Chaiman Jerwin Salcedo hailed the Secretary’s effort to meet with the Filipino community on the sidelines of the ASEM 11 Summit, saying, “We Filipinos in Mongolia are truly honored to have the distinction of being the first Filipino community to be visited by our new Secretary of Foreign Affairs.”
According to Immigration Mongolia statistics, there are 241 Filipinos living and working in Mongolia, including priests, nuns, missionaries, UN volunteers, musicians, hotel employees, chefs and domestic service workers.
