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(10 January 2024, Santiago) The Philippine Embassy in Santiago, the University of the Philippines Diliman, and the Department of Foreign Affairs - Office of American Affairs (DFA - OAA) met virtually to identify potential areas for collaboration with higher educational institutions in Chile, Peru, and Ecuador.

During the meeting, the University of the Philippines Diliman mentioned its ongoing agreement with the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja in Ecuador through the College of Architecture.

UP Diliman expressed its interest in establishing ties with other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Chile, Peru, and Ecuador in research, faculty and student exchanges, especially in music and the arts, astronomy/astrophysics, and natural and engineering sciences.

UP welcomed the Embassy’s plan to promote courses in learning English as a second language (ESL) in the countries under Post’s jurisdiction. To add value to the ESL program, the two partners agreed to explore incorporating Spanish colonial history, Philippine culture, and/or Asian studies and building on common areas of interest between the Philippines and Chile such as religion, indigenous studies, and folk music. The Embassy and UP Diliman also agreed to work together to find ways to revive interest in learning the Spanish language and offering to Filipino students Latin American studies in universities in South America.

The Philippine Embassy, UP Diliman and DFA’s Office of American Affairs likewise exchanged ideas on possible activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Peru in 2024. UP Diliman suggested music as a good starting point for the celebration. For this reason, it was suggested that the UP Rondalla would play the compositions of José Libornio, a Filipino musician who composed Peru's second national anthem in the late 19th century,  Marcha de Banderas (March of Flags).

The Embassy team was represented by the Philippine Ambassador to Chile Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat, and Minister and Consul General Jim Tito B. San Agustin, Communication and Records Officer and former Cultural and Community Relations Officer Brian Peter C. Bustamante, and the new Cultural and Community Relations Officer Kimiko R. Gata. Ms. Rochelle Chen represented the DFA-OAA.

For the UP Diliman Team, present were Dr. Carlene PC Pilar-Arceo, Dr. Marie Jocelyn U. Marfil, Prof. Monica Fides Amada W. Santos, Mr. Justin Alcantara, and Ms. Noelle Rivera.

Ambassador Vinzon-Balatbat expressed gratitude for the commitment to ongoing collaboration and continued communication, as well as the optimism of these initiatives' positive impact on cultural understanding, academic excellence, and diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Chile.

To conclude she stressed the Philippines’ unique perspective. She says, “We are a bridge between Latin America and Asia. We straddle the two worlds through our Asian character and Hispanic heritage. Let us deepen our relations with Latin America by building on our common historical past as a starting point.”

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The Philippine Embassy in Santiago team pose for official photos following the unveiling of the Murillo Velarde Map of 1734 and the signing of the and Philippines-Chile MOU on Cooperation in Aquaculture. 

(Santiago, 02 October 2023) The Philippine Embassy in Santiago, Chile, capped its line-up of activities for this year’s celebration of the Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANAMo 2023) in two landmark activities held at the Philippine Chancery in Las Condes on 02 October 2023.

“The vast ocean that separates us also connects us,” said Philippine Ambassador to Chile H.E. Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat. She added, “The Philippines and Chile are maritime nations, bordering the Pacific Ocean and united by our commitment to biodiversity and the sustainability of our oceans.”

The first MANAMo activity was the official unveiling of the Replica of the Carta Hydrographica y Chronographica de las Yslas Filipinas, also known as the Murillo Velarde Map of 1734. This replica was donated by Chairman and CEO Mel Velasco Velarde of Velarde Inc.

In her speech, Ambassador Balatbat underlined the value of the map as an “important window to the Philippines’s past and as a veritable treasure trove of historical data.”  She also highlighted the map’s importance “as  a symbol of the Philippines’s commitment to international law” and stressed its value as “a key piece of evidence in the Arbitral Tribunal” to select attendees composed of Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials, former Chilean Ambassadors to the Philippines, members of the academe from the Catholic University of Chile, and other guests.

The signing of the Philippines-Chile MOU on Cooperation in Fisheries and Aquaculture served as the day’s second MANAMo activity, and formally cemented the two countries’ commitment to foster scientific and technical cooperation, promote bilateral trade, exchange business models and research, and develop partnerships between government agencies, private sector, academe, and fisherfolk communities.

Signing the MOU on the part of Chile were Deputy Undersecretary Javier Rivera Vergara of SUBPESCA (Sub-Secretariat for Fisheries) and National Director Soledad Tapia Almonacid of SERNAPESCA (Chile’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service).

Following the signing of the MOU, Deputy Undersecretary Rivera reiterated Chile’s commitment to continue developing and reinforcing the two countries’ partnership in aquaculture, cultivation, and other related sciences.

The Philippine Embassy organized these two landmark activities in line with MANAMo 2023’s overarching goals of promoting maritime protection, sustainable development, and ocean awareness. END

 

Photo of Amb. Balatbat (standing, rightmost) with the MOU signatories from SUBPESCA (seated,Ambassador Balatbat delivers her remarks left) and SERNAPESCA (seated, right). Also in the photo are Amb. Patricio Powell of DIRAPAC (standing leftmost) and Amb. Claudio Rojas, former Ambassador of Chile to the PHL

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The Philippine Embassy in Santiago and the SMBIL teams pose for a photo following the Chilean beer industry and market access meeting. 

(Santiago, 28 September 2023) As part of its economic diplomacy programs to support the Philippines’s best-selling brands penetrate the South American market, with Chile as a potential window, the Philippine Embassy in Santiago, led by Ambassador Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat, held a pioneer meeting between the Embassy and San Miguel Brewing International, Ltd. (SMBIL), via online platform on 28 September 2023.

Joining the meeting from San Miguel were Mr. Jorel Tangpuz, Group Sales Manager (GSM); Mr. Mark Sismaet, Sales Assistant to the GSM; and Mr. Karim Mangondaya, Sales Manager, SMBIL Export Development Group; and from the Philippine Embassy, Minister & Consul General Jim Tito B. San Agustin and First Secretary & Consul Dennis John C. Briones.

Ambassador Balatbat highlighted Chile’s potential as a “promising point of entry for San Miguel beer and other best-selling products into the largely untapped South American region.” She added that Chile’s vast web of free trade agreements (FTAs) could also facilitate the entry of San Miguel beer into neighboring Latin American markets in the long-term, aside from satisfying Chile’s fast-growing demand for both local and foreign beers.

Mr. Tangpuz provided a brief backgrounder on the San Miguel Corporation (SMC), the history of beer icon, San Miguel Beer (SMB) and its variants, and as a snapshot of SMB’s global reach and worldwide distribution, including in the Americas.  He also candidly discussed SMB’s present challenges which limit them from fully tapping farther regions, particularly South America.

Consul Briones provided a brief overview of Chile’s alcohol and beer culture, its ranking in beer consumption per capita, and a roster of SMB’s potential rivals—or partners/distributors—in the local Chilean brewery and cerveza scene.

Strategizing on the best means to move forward, the Philippines Embassy reiterated its commitment to help San Miguel beer products penetrate the Chilean market by engaging with the country’s largest domestic beer distributors (Cerveceria Chile and CCU), as well as meeting with smaller ones for possible exclusive SMB distribution (Kuntsmann, Concha y Toro, and many more).

Aside from SMB and its variants, the Embassy also conveyed its readiness to assist in promoting other SMC products in Chile and other areas in Latin America. END

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Photos from the Philippine Embassy in Chile’s visit to Museo Maritimo Nacional in Valparaiso as part of its MANAMo 2023 P/A/Ps.

(Valparaiso Region, 21 September 2023) As part of its line-up of activities celebrating this year’s Maritime and Archipelagic Awareness Month of September (MANAMo 2023) under the theme “Kapuluan, Kabuluhan, Kaunlaran” (Archipelago, Significance, and Development) as well as the subtheme: “Setting Sails toward Sustainability,” the Philippine Embassy in Chile organized a visit to Chile’s Museo Maritimo Nacional (MMN) in the port city of Valparaiso on 21 September 2023. 

The visit was held in line with MANAMo 2023’s overarching goals of promoting maritime protection, sustainable development, and ocean awareness among Filipinos—including Embassy personnel.

Museo Maritimo Nacional showcases Chile’s rich maritime and naval history and is currently home to the temporary exhibition: “Chile en el Planeta Océano, Protegiendo Nuestra Biodiversidad en Mar Abierto” (Chile in the Planet of Oceans, Protecting Our Biodiversity in the Open Seas). The exhibition highlights the museum’s key contributions to scientific research, sea biodiversity conservation, and the protection of the oceans.  It features specific sections on Chile’s archipelagic elements, maritime and coastal biodiversity and wildlife protection initiatives, the Chilean Antarctica, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and Chile’s efforts to address intercontinental waste and pollution.

The Philippine Embassy team was received by the Military Chief of the MMN, Capt. Cristian Aroz Plaza (representing Rear Admiral Andres Rodrigo, Director of the MMN), Head of the Department of Education and Mediation Ms. Silvia Muñoz, and the Head of International Delegations of the MMN Ms. Maria Jose Milla.  Ms. Milla gave the team a highly detailed 2-hour tour of all the museum’s offerings.

PHL Ambassador to Chile H.E. Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat expressed her thanks to the MMN’s officials and underlined the Embassy’s “readiness to work with the museum in promoting ocean awareness and protection, and maritime patrimony in line with the MANAMo theme.”

The Ambassador also gave a framed replica of 1638 Asia Noviter Delineata Map to Rear Admiral Andres Rodrigo as a token of appreciation from the Embassy for the MMN’s hospitality.

 

 Photos from the Philippine Embassy in Chile’s visit to Casa Valle Viñamar, one of Chile’s

top sustainable vineyards.

Similarly in line with MANAMo 2023’s theme on sustainable development, the Philippine Embassy team visited Casa Valle Viñamar in Casablanca Valley on the same day.

Casa Valle Viñamar is one of Chile’s top sustainable vineyards, which is known for utilizing the close proximity and ensuing salt breeze and ocean-atmosphere oscillations of the nearby Pacific Ocean and coast, as a key component and feature of their centuries-old viticulture and enology secrets and sustainable practices.

While being mostly a coastal nation, Chile is home to eight large islands and archipelagos—Chiloé, Hoste San Inés, Navarino, Magdalena, Tierra del Fuego, Riesco, and Wellington—representing more than half of the land territory of the country. Chile, therefore, similarly encounters many of the same challenges experienced by archipelagic countries like the Philippines, especially in the areas of combatting ocean waste and pollution, preserving coastlines, protecting ocean and coastal flora and fauna, and maximizing maritime and archipelagic assets toward sustainable development. END

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