Ambassador Meynardo LB. Montealegre (left, in barong Tagalog) presents his letter of credence before His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah (right), Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, at Istana Nurul Iman on 21 May 2015, as Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Dewa Dato Seri Setia Awang Lim Jock Seng (center), Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, looks on. (Photo: Courtesy of The Brunei Times)
25 May 2015 – Philippine Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Meynardo LB. Montealegre presented his credentials before His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, at the Istana Nurul Iman on 21 May 2015.
His Majesty the Sultan congratulated Ambassador Montealegre on his appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Brunei Darussalam, and expressed optimism to meeting President Aquino during the APEC meetings in Manila.
Ambassador Montealegre expressed his appreciation to His Majesty for Brunei's hospitality in hosting some 23,000 Filipinos in the country, and highlighted his keen interest in enhancing bilateral relations between the Philippines and Brunei.
For his part, the Sultan expressed satisfaction with the very close bilateral relations between the Philippines and Brunei, and conveyed his appreciation for the contribution of Filipinos to Brunei’s economy.
They also discussed recent developments in Philippine-Brunei bilateral relations particularly the Brunei Government’s continued commitment to the peace process in southern Philippines, notably through Brunei’s active participation in the International Monitoring Team (IMT) in Mindanao, and providing an expert who became part of the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) which oversees the decommissioning process of the MILF forces and arms.
Ambassador Montealegre (far left) during his audience with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, at Istana Nurul Iman on 21 May 2015. (Photo: Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
Prior to Ambassador Montealegre’s presentation of credentials before His Majesty, he was granted an audience with His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, at the Balai Penghadapan, Bukit Kayangan in Bandar Seri Begawan. They discussed issues of mutual concern to the Philippines and Brunei, including the Brunei Government’s continued and active involvement in the peace process in Mindanao, as well as the PHL’s requests for support to candidatures put forward by the PHL Government.
Ambassador Montealegre (left) was granted an audience with His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, at the Balai Penghadapan, Bukit Kayangan in Bandar Seri Begawan. (Photo: Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin)
After the presentation of credentials, Ambassador Montealegre met with Embassy personnel at the Chancery on 21 May and a fellowship with Filipino Community (FilCom) leaders on 22 May 2015.
Ambassador Montealegre is the ninth ambassador to serve in Brunei Darussalam since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Brunei on 01 January 1984. Prior to his foreign assignment in Brunei, he was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Hellenic Republic with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Cyprus. END
Ambassador Montealegre (left) was granted an audience with His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, at the Balai Penghadapan, Bukit Kayangan in Bandar Seri Begawan. (Photo: Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin)
Ambassador Montealegre formally introducing himself to Filipino Community (FilCom) leaders during the fellowship with the FilCom held at the Chancery.
