Remembering the King’s visit

The Ortigas Foundation recently held a photo exhibit at the mezzanine level of Dusit Thani Manila in commemoration of the 50th year of the State Visit of His Majesty King Bhumibol Abdulyadej and Queen Sirikit of the Kingdom of Thailand.  Dusit Thani Manila general manager Alex Willats joined diplomats, government officials and other VIP guests at the opening, viewing the photos of the royal couple during their five-day visit to the Philippines on July 9, 1963.  Seen at the launch were Laos Ambassador Her Excellency Ambassador Malayvieng Sakonhninhom, Thai Airways’ General Manager Sern Chupikulchai, Embassy of Malaysia’s First Secretary Raveendran Nair, Embassy of Thailand’s First Secretary Thanis Na Songkhla, Minister Counselor of Embassy of Indonesia R. Toto Waspado, Department of Foreign Affairs’ Acting Assistant Secretary Bernardita Catalla, El Salvador consul a.h. Tabbie Ortigas-Eduarte, and Philippine Carpet Manufacturing Corporation general manager Evelyn Lim-Forbes.  Where else is the best place to mount photographs of an auspicious time for Philippine-Thai relations but at the Dusit Thani Manila—the contemporary showcase of Thailand’s culture and its grand tradition of hospitality in Metro Manila.  Congratulations!

Rising to the occasion

Welcoming a new set of leaders this year is the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), the country’s leading management organization, with the induction of its 2013 Board of Governors held at The Peninsula Manila, Makati. The said event coincided with the organization’s inaugural meeting and was attended by the organization’s hardworking members including outgoing president Eduardo Francisco and First Credit Consultants Corporation president and MAP Membership Committee member Grace Tiongco. Gracing the momentous event as guest of honor was the indefatigable SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co. (SGV & Co.) founder Washington “Wash” SyCip who also served as the inducting officer for the 2013 Board of Governors including MAP president Melito Salazar, Jr., vice president Rafael Alunan III, treasurer Donald Patrick Lim, assistant treasurer Romeo Bernardo, secretary Tomasa Lipana and governors Carlos Ejercito, lawyer Cirilo Noel, Alfredo Pascual and Peter Wallace. Congratulations and more power to the new officers of the Management Association of the Philippines!

A taste of Europe

It was a fruitful visit to Europe for the first United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) director general and former ambassador to Japan Domingo “Jun” Siazon, Jr. as he attended important meetings held in Austria: the International Experts’ Meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Vienna Energy Forum 2013 organized by UNIDO, the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). Meanwhile, the hardworking ambassador and his endearing wife Kay found time to relax during the trip by visiting one of the world’s largest museums and a central landmark of Paris, The Louvre. Until the next trip, Jun and Kay!