GOVPH

30 June 2024.The Philippine Embassy in France held a town hall forum with the Filipino community (FilCom) in Paris on 29 June 2024, as part of its quarterly public engagement. The Department of Foreign Affairs’ Undersecretary for Administration Antonio Morales and Undersecretary for Migration Affairs Eduardo Jose De Vega graced the event. A total of 44 Filipino association representatives participated in the event. 

DFA officials Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega (center left) and Undersecretary Antonio Morales (center right) with Ambassador Junever Mahilum-West (center), led the town hall meeting with Filipino community at the Philippine Embassy in Paris. 

During the forum, Philippine Ambassador to France, H.E. Junever Mahilum-West took the opportunity to expound on President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr.’s vision under Bagong Pilipinas and the socioeconomic transformation programs it entails. Her Excellency highlighted the roles of our kababayan and emphasized unity, involvement, and the Bayanihan culture as the main fibers and components for the full realization of Bagong Pilipinas.
 

H.E. Junever Mahilum-West (center) welcomed FilCom group representatives to the town hall forum and expounded on the Bagong Pilipinas initiative of the administration.  

Undersecretary Morales, in his remarks, reminded the Filipino community that they are representatives of our country being in a way, multiplier Ambassadors, and so their activities and behavior abroad inevitably reflect on our country. Undersecretary Morales also gave a background of UA’s role in the DFA’s operations and in ensuring its delivery of effective, efficient, and timely services to all Filipino clients. 

Undersecretary for Migration Affairs Eduardo Jose De Vega and Undersecretary for Administration Antonio Morales expressed their appreciation to the Filipino community and emphasized their roles in representing the country overseas.  

Undersecretary De Vega expressed his commitment in ascertaining the plight of Filipino migrant workers in France and his appreciation to them for maintaining a good representation of the Philippines. He also explained the updated government framework and updates in delivering assistance-to-nationals services, i.e., the establishment of the Department of Migrant Workers and the role of DFA’s Foreign Service Posts in countries without a Migrant Workers Office (MWO) like in France.  

 MWO Madrid OIC and Welfare Officer Maria Corazon Sangco resopnds to queries of the Filipino community on OEC and OWWA matters. 

Representatives from MWO Madrid, Welfare Officer and MWO OIC Maria Corazon Sangco and Administrative Staff Percival Labasan, gave a refresher of MWO and OWWA services through online presence. The Embassy’s Police Attache, Col. Rodolfo Castro, Jr., also gave his security updates and anti-human trafficking briefing to the community. 
 

11 July 2024.Dr. Kevin Henry Villanueva, Professor of Global Politics and Southeast Asian Diplomacy,  successfully launched his work The Paradigm of Original Encounters at Librairie Sud-Est-Asie in Paris on 9 July 2024 with the support of the Philippine Embassy. 

Professor Kevin Henry Villanueva discusses his work with ASEAN Ambassadors and diplomatic representatives.  Representatives of ASEAN Embassies in Paris, including the ambassadors of the Philippines, Myanmar, and Brunei Darussalam, and officers from the Lao, Singaporean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, and Philippine embassies graced the event. SciencesPo’s Honorary Researcher and Southeast Asia expert David Camroux also attended the book launch.  

(L-R) Dr. Kevin Henry Villanueva, Prof. David Camroux, H.E. Junever Mahilum-West, H.E. Kyaw Zeya, and H.E. Datin Lamit Rakiah discuss The Paradigm of Original Encounters.  

Dr. Villanueva gained the distinction as the First Professorial Fellow at the University of the Philippines for his pioneering work on consensus diplomacy while advocating for an “ASEAN School” of International Relations. He is the founding Director of ARISE (ASEAN Research Institute for Strategic Studies and Enterprise), the Philippines’ first think-tank devoted to the critical analysis and strategic policy research on ASEAN regional integration. He also contributed to the 5-volume commemorative compendium published by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs for the 50th ASEAN founding anniversary.

The work in focus is entitled The Paradigm of Original Encounters tackles the historical development of ASEAN and its unique consensus-based system through a moral and political lens. Dr. Villanueva draws an eight-point proposition that explores how ASEAN states conduct relations with one another and maintain a longstanding absence of interstate conflict. The book is an attempt to use humanist language and philosophy in studying communities in international relations.

Dr. Kevin Henry Villanueva and H.E. Junever Mahilum-West with Philippine Embassy officials and Mme. Pham Thieu Tu of Librairie Sud-Est-Asie. Dr. Kevin Henry Villanueva and H.E. Junever Mahilum-West in front of Librairie Sud-Est-Asie.  

The launch was aptly held at Librairie Sud-Est-Asie, a bookstore of the Fraternité Europe-Asia which was founded in 1967 to promote mutual understanding and solidarity between the two continents. It houses several specialized works in French by authors from or about Southeast Asian countries. END.

Agadir, Morocco, 05 July 2024 – During the 36th session of the International Coordinating Council, the governing body of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere programme held in Agadir, Morocco, from 02 to 05 July 2024, UNESCO approved the designation of 11 new biosphere reserves including the yApayaos Biosphere Reserve in the Philippines. The World Network of Biosphere Reserves now totals 759 sites in 136 countries. 
Biosphere reserves are an essential component of UNESCO's mandate as the United Nations’ organization for the sciences. Each biosphere reserve promotes innovative local sustainable development solutions, protects biodiversity, and addresses climate disruption. They also support local and Indigenous communities through practices such as agro-ecology, water management, and the generation of green income. 
Biosphere reserves contribute to helping achieve the targets set by States upon the adoption of the  Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in December 2022, which includes designating 30% of the Earth’s land and marine surface as protected areas and restoring 30% of the planet’s degraded ecosystems by 2030.
The yApayaos Biosphere Reserve in the Province of Apayao is divided into two distinct regions: Upper Apayao, with its rugged terrain, towering peaks, plateaus, and valleys, and Lower Apayao, featuring flatlands adorned with rolling hills and plateaus. Stretching 180 km, the majestic Apayao River serves as a vital watershed, nurturing 18 tributaries across the province.
"Yapayaos" encompasses both the people and the diverse flora and fauna living in the area. The region is home to various ethnolinguistic groups and ten Indigenous Cultural Communities whose traditions and laws are deeply intertwined with the land and its resources. Notably, the Isnag/Isneg community, which constitutes 30 percent of the population, upholds the Lapat system, a unique customary practice regulating the use of natural resources and protection of the environment. 
Recognized for its ecological significance, Apayao harbors the Apayao Lowland Forest Key Biodiversity Area, which has high levels of endemism and serves as a refuge for critically endangered species like the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi). 
The population of 124,366 engages primarily in rice and corn cultivation. However, ecotourism is progressing in the province. The biosphere reserve spans 3,960 km².

END.

*Excerpts from UNESCO Press Release dated 05 July 2024

 Mt. Kilang in Calanasan, Apayao. Photo courtesy of the PTSO