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NEW YORK CONSULATE, COMMUNITY BID FAREWELL TO AMBASSADOR ALBERT DEL ROSARIO

PHILIPPINE CONSULATE - NEWS RELEASE
13 July 2006

NEW YORK -- On July 6, the Philippine Consulate General in New York led the Filipino-American community in bidding farewell to Ambassador Albert Del Rosario as Philippine envoy to the U.S. The farewell ceremony was held at the Philippine Center, Kalayaan Hall and attended by family members, former high-school classmates, friends and supporters of the Ambassador.

The atmosphere during the ceremony was both festive and somber. “Festive” as a line-up of both professional and amateur artists played music and sang songs that were known favorites of the Ambassador. The artists included Ms. April Talangbayan who impressed the audience with her flute performance and repertoire; soprano Aida Gamboa whose powerful and superbly controlled voice filled the hall and caused an involuntary yielding of total attention by the audience as she sang three favorite Tagalog songs of the Ambassador; and Jennifer Cuneta whose energetic rendition of Dione Warwick’s “I Say a Little Prayer for You“caused the audience to dance on their feet. The Consulate General’s very own, Consul Edgar Badajos, gamely sang “Somewhere My Love” a la Perry Como to the obvious delight of Ambassador and Mrs. Del Rosario and the audience.

Ambassador and Mrs. Del Rosario, assisted by Consul General Rebong, welcome some arriving guests to the farewell reception.

Ms. April Talangbayan serenaded the Ambassador and impressed the audience with her flute performance and repertoire.

And “somber” as former high school classmates, friends and supporters of Ambassador Del Rosario gave testimonials about the classmate, friend and co-worker they have known and worked with through the years. Father Tim Tighe, a former high school classmate of Ambassador Del Rosario at Xavier School (Class of ’57) in New York City, recalled the fun days he had spent in the Philippines while visiting with the family of the Ambassador in 1998. He described how his visits to Corregidor and Bataan reminded him of the deeply-rooted friendly relations between the U.S. and the Philippines, and how he felt so exhilarated when he first learned that Albert had been asked by the President of the Philippines to help foster these relations in his capacity as Philippine envoy to the U.S. and how he witnessed the Ambassador work “fiercely” in all his endeavors to keep the relations going. Mr. Robert Dono, President of the Gift of Life Foundation, narrated how Ambassador Del Rosario unselfishly “overstepped” the bounds of his professional duties numerous times in the past just to be able to help the Foundation bring poor children with heart ailments to the U.S. from the Philippines for urgently needed medical attention.

The atmosphere changed from somber to festive when Mrs. Loida Nicolas-Lewis, National Chair of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, (NaFFAA) gave her testimonial. Every achievement of Ambassador Del Rosario that Mrs. Lewis rattled off in her speech was greeted by the audience with a thunderous applause. These achievements included increased dollar remittances to the Philippines by Filipinos in the United States; retention of the Philippines as a permissible investment destination by the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), the largest PUBLIC pension fund in the U.S.; continued access of Philippine canned tuna to the American market; passage of additional legislation in the U.S. Congress that benefit Fil-Am WWII veterans; and increased U.S. development assistance for Mindanao. After her speech, Mrs. Lewis and the other officers of NaFFAA gave a recognition award to the Ambassador. Aside from NaFFAA, the Bulakenyos ng Silangang Amerika (BUSILAK) headed by Mr. Joey Roldan, gave a recognition award to the Ambassador who hails from Bulacan, Bulacan. Roldan said that “Ambassador Del Rosario will be put in the Hall of Fame of the Province of Bulacan.”

One of the guests was Mrs. Loida Nicolas-Lewis, a close friend of the Ambassador and National Chair of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA).

Mrs. Loida Nicolas Lewis and the other officers of NaFFAA giving a recognition award to Ambassador del Rosario.

The Bulakenyos ng Silangang Amerika (BUSILAK), headed by Mr. Joey Roldan, giving a recognition award to the Ambassador who hails from Bulacan, Bulacan.

Consul General Rebong narrated her deep impressions on the work ethic and character of the Ambassador when she first met him during a state visit by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the U.S.; how she witnessed his deep love for our motherland when the Ambassador and she collaborated on various economic development projects; and how as a boss, leader and co-worker, the Ambassador has inspired her and the other Philippine Consuls General to the U.S. to always serve our motherland with “sincerity, integrity, credibility, and transparency,” following the philosophy of the Ambassador.

After her remarks, Consul General Rebong, assisted by Filcom leaders turned over a check donation of $4,550.00 for Gawad Kalinga to the Ambassador and to ANCOP Foundation headed by Mr. Rolly Balanza. This was followed by the presentation of a Dakilang Pilipino award to the Ambassador by the various leaders of the Fil-Am organizations in Northeast USA.

Consul General Rebong, assisted by Filcom leaders turned over a check donation of $4,550.00 for Gawad Kalinga to the Ambassador and to ANCOP Foundation headed by Mr. Rolly Balanza.

Presentation of a "Dakilang Pilipino" award to the Ambassador by the various leaders of the Fil-Am organizations in Northeast USA.

Ambassador Del Rosario delivered a touching response but with poise and aplomb. Speaking extemporaneously and in a very clear baritone voice, he acknowledged how touched he was by the affection and support shown him by the community. “I don’t know how to thank you except to say that it was an honor and privilege to have walked with people like you,” he said. He added that his term would not have been successful if not for their support. He assured the community that as he goes back to private life, he will continue “to serve our countrymen with equal sincerity, integrity, credibility, and transparency.” If he could humbly give them a piece of advice, he said it would be this: “Let us continue to support our President; let us support the new ambassador whoever he/she may be.” He said that if he was asked what message he would give to the President, it would be this: “That everyone I’ve talked to out there wants you to succeed.” As for the next ambassador, he said that his advice to him/her would be three-fold: “First, if you want to go to Washington, you should really love your country; second, you should be prepared to go broke; and, third, you should have a high sense of humor.” And the ambassador’s parting shot to the community? “Come visit me in the Philippines but don’t come at the same time as I only have a small house back home.”

Ambassador Albert Del Rosario with the Philippine Center Management Board of New York (From L-R: Trade Rep. Josephine Romero, Trade Rep. Eugene Reyes, Ambassador Bayani S. Mercado, Consul General Cecilia Rebong, and Amb. Albert Del Rosario, Consul Rico Fos, Tourism Director Emma Ruth Yulo-Kitiyakara, PCMB Manager Gavino Abaya, PCMB Amdin. Asst. Melinda Capinpin.)