PH, Singapore celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations

Ambassador of Singapore to the Philippines Gerard Ho and Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Ernesto Abella led the celebration in Pasay City, which was attended by government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, and guests from the media and business community. (PNA photo)

MANILA — Officials of the Philippines and Singapore on Thursday (May 30) led the celebration of the 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Ambassador of Singapore to the Philippines Gerard Ho and Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Ernesto Abella led the celebration in Pasay City, which was attended by government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, and guests from the media and business community.

“In the 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, our friendship has continued to grow through regular exchanges and visits, mutually beneficial economic cooperation, and the increasing familiarity of people-to-people exchanges,” Ho said in a statement.

“Our many joint achievements are proof of the good relationship of our two nations,” Abella, for his part, said.

The friendship between Singapore and the Philippines go back many years before the formal establishment of diplomatic relations in 1969.

Singapore and the Philippines founded the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) together with Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand in 1967.

On its golden jubilee of diplomatic relations, the two countries have numerous successful collaborations, one of which is the loaning of a pair of critically endangered Philippine Eagle to the Wildlife Reserves Singapore for a conservation breeding program.

The Singapore Embassy in Manila is also coordinating with the Philippine government on a state visit by Singapore President Halimah Yacob to the Philippines later this year.

The visit will create an opportunity for both countries to discuss and engage in beneficial agreements in different sectors.

The Singapore Post and Philippine Postal Corporation celebrate this milestone of long-standing relations with a special stamp issuance that features a fauna from each country.

Apart from that, the Embassy is also holding a Singapore Festival, Singaporium, in September 2019 that will showcase fashion, retail, and food concepts from Singapore.

“I would like to reaffirm the strength of the friendship between Singapore and the Philippines, and I am certain that our friendship will soar to even greater heights in the next 50 years,” Ho said.

At the reception, the guests were served with Singaporean cuisine from across the major ethnic groups in Singapore and a photo timeline that depicts the 50 years of harmonious relationship between the two countries.