The new Philippine Ambassador to Australia, Belen Fule-Anota, hit the ground running: Barely two months into the job in Canberra, Ambassador Anota drove to Sydney for breakfast with Filipino community representatives on Saturday, November 5, to outline her immediate plans ~ and to listen.
”No other ambassador before her has paid our Filipino community in Sydney such importance,” remarked one of many long-timers. “It’s a refreshing style and very engaging.”
Immediately after being welcomed by Philippine Consul General Anne Jalando-on Louis, the ambassador briefed her guests about efforts to complete erection of Dr Jose Rizal’s statue at Campbelltown on February 2012. Among the topics she discussed were attending to the needs of Filipino professionals to gain recognition in Australia; overseas absentee voting registration; voting by the Internet; combining the websites of the Philippine consulate and the Philippine embassy into one site, and improving [Philippine] trade relations with Australia.
“You can all play a role in the area of trade between Australia and the Philippines by buying products made in the Philippines,” Ambassador Anota said.
During a long forum before breakfast, she fielded questions from the profound to the downright silly with infectious charm and diplomacy. The ambassador ate breakfast among her guests, and then she mingled and posed for photo-shoots.
The night before, the ambassador attended a dinner hosted by alumni of her old university, Ateneo de Manila, held at Crown Plaza Norwest in Baulkham Hills.