New RP consul general in Jeddah assumes post

Ending three weeks of uncertainty, the new head of the Philippine consulate in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia arrived over the weekend to assume his post.

Online news site Arab News reported Monday that Consul General Ezzedin Tago arrived in Jeddah from Manila Saturday morning and got a welcome party from consulate staff.

He asked for full support from the staff and community, assuring that he was open to discussing with them issues and activities concerning the community.

Tago also asked members of the community to always avoid unnecessarily getting into trouble by abiding with the laws and respecting the customs of the host country.

"Whatever activity by organizations that are helpful to the community and not contrary to the host government’s laws are assured of our support," he said in a brief interview during the welcome party held early in the night at the Ramada Hotel.

Also, he assured the consulate staff and the Filipino community he will maintain the good things his predecessor Pendosina Lomondot did.

"I recognize and acknowledge Consul General Lomondot for a good job he has done and I hope to build on his accomplishment and achievement," he said.

Leading the welcomers were Consul Jose Jacob, Labor Attachés Bulyok Nilong and Adam Musa, Haj Attaché Sulaiman Mutya, head of the Assistance to Nationals Unit Vicky Salian, Welfare Officer Romeo Pablo, and other section heads.

After the brief ceremonies, Tago and the officials proceeded to the consulate to join a gift-giving program organized by the consulate staff for residents of the shelter for distressed Filipino women workers.

Tago was one of the first high school graduates of the Philippine School in Jeddah (PSJ), the first Philippine embassy school organized when his father, Dauday Tago, was an official of the consulate.

The school, now known as the International Philippine School in Jeddah (IPSJ), became the biggest Filipino overseas school with more than 1,200 students until it broke up into several schools several years ago.

After earning a degree in political science in the University of California, he entered the foreign service and served in different capacities.

From 1999 to 2003, he was 3rd secretary and later 2nd secretary at the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.

From 2003 to 2005, he served as 2nd secretary in Jakarta; and from 2004-2005, he was detailed briefly in Baghdad, Iraq, during the hostage crisis of Filipino driver Angelo dela Cruz and accountant Robert Tarongoy.

Tago said he considered his posting to Iraq "one of my most memorable and challenging tasks." - GMANews.TV

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more