Here and Abroad

The reception which Venezuelan Ambassador Milena Santana Ramirez hosted was a reflection of her own sparkling personality, so noted the guests at Inter-Con’s Skytop as they joined the celebration of Bolivia’s 190th National Day.

The rains did not deter Ambassador Ramirez’s legions of friends from enjoying themselves to the hilt. The envoy’s husband, Dr. Carlos Ramirez Faria, and the young Second Secretary Juan Goldnick helped her to welcome Vice President and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teofisto Guingona, Jr. who gave his remarks in fluent Spanish while Mrs. Ramirez, for her part, expressed her hope of Venezuela’s continuing to supply part of the Philippines’ energy requirements.

Ambassadors of the Netherlands, Australia, Laos, Chilé, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Panama, Portugal, Nigeria, Spain, Indonesia, Sweden, Malaysia, Vietnam were in attendance, as were Ramon Ilusorio, Al and Nena Casimiro, Dr. Jose Genato, Paz Yuchengco, Nori Ongsiako, Joe and Tina Guingona, Isabel Wilson, Macario and Letty Laurel among many others, as well as Inter-Con’s personable GM Michael Hermann whose chef served an excellent cuisine.

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Diplomatic receptions were held abroad recently as celebrated global village painter Manuel D. Baldemor established a record for being the first Filipino artist to exhibit in Central Europe: Hungary (Budapest), Poland (Warsaw) and the Slovak Republic (Bratislava).

At the Slovak National Gallery, Ambassador Estrella Berenguer hosted the cocktails for Manny’s exhibit which had Hungary’s Chief Justice Pal Solt and his wife Mme. Lovag heading the guests. In Nagyhazi Gallery, the biggest private gallery in Budapest, Hungarian Foreign Ministry Deputy State Secretary Denes Tomaj and ranking envoys from France, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam expressed their admiration for the manner Manny opened their eyes to the beauty of countries far away from his own. In Warsaw, each member of the entire Filipino community (numbering 80) greeted Manny with a lusty "Mabuhay!"