DepED, CFO, PHL Embassy Forge Partnership with Alternative Learning Centers in Sabah

DepED, CFO O� cials Discuss Education Cooperation with Malaysian O� cials

Commission on Filipinos Overseas Chairperson Imelda Nicolas (center) and Education Undersecretary Mario Deriquito (right) converse with Malaysian Deputy Minister Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching (left) after their meeting to dis-cuss possible areas of cooperation.

(Continued on page 2)

Ambassador Malaya, Chairperson Nicolas and Undersecretary Dequito (seated, second, third and fourth from left, respectively) join the heads of ALCs in this photo . (Standing from left) Borneo Child Aid Society (Humana) project manager Torben Venning, Learning Translation and Review Center representative Dina binti Hanalpia, Stairway to Success project manager Vic Moran, Stairway to Success project manager Marilou Chin, Sekolah Sukarela Persatuan MAFIL-KOFA project manager Mohd Ijin bin Johari, Ms. Cheryl Fernandez and Ms. Jacquiline Minoza of Stairway to Hope Learning Center, and (seated, left) Ms. Rosalyn Dawila Venning.

Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) Chairperson Imelda Nicolas and Education Undersecre-tary for Partnerships and External Linkages Mario Deriquito called on Malaysian Deputy Minister of Education Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching and other Malaysian edu-cation ministry o� cials to discuss possible areas of cooperation.

Accompanying the o� cials during their meeting held August 27th were Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya, Vice Consul Alvin Malasig,

Ms. Karen Pahayahay and Ms. Prin-cess Mayumi Peralta.

The two parties agreed to ex-plore cooperation in the areas of educational assessment, secondary technical and vocational training, in-formation and communication tech-nology, science and mathematics, and a community-based alternative education program for Filipino chil-dren in Sabah.

The details of the proposed ac-tivities will be further discussed at the

(Continued on page3)

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur

signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Community-based Education Program with six Sabah-based alternative learning centers (ALCs) on August 26, 2014.

The MOU aims to improve the capacity of the ALCs to provide basic literacy to Filipino children who have no access to regular education through capacity-building activities; professional, techni-cal and administrative advice; and the provision of learning and instructional materials, among others.

Some 2,234 school-age undocumented Fili-pino children are now enrolled in the ALCs which are parties to the MOU, namely the Persatuan Kebajikan Pendidikan Kanak-Kanak Miskin (The Society for Education of Underprivileged Chil-dren) (Lahad Datu and Semporna), Stairway to Hope Learning Center (Kota Kinabalu), Stairway to Success Learning Center (Sandakan), Learning Translation and Review Centre (Keningau), Vision of Hope Learning Center (Keningau), and Sekolah Sukarela Persatuan MAFIL-KOFA (Keningau).

Undocumented children have extremely lim-ited access to public education in Malaysia.

The CFO and DepEd were represented by Secre-tary Imelda Nicolas and Undersecretary for Partner-ships and External Linkages Mario Deriquito, respec-tively. Both o� cials were on an o� cial visit to Kuala

Lumpur from August 26 to 27. DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro sent Under-

secretary Deriquito to Kuala Lumpur to look into the education needs of Filipino children in Sabah.

Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya signed on be-

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2 D I P L O M A T I C B R I E F

Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya (second from right) and artist Clarence Eduarte (rightmost) join Art Expo Malaysia (AEM) 2014 Royal Patrons, Raja Muda (Crown Prince) Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra and Raja Puan Muda (Crown Princess) Tuanku Hajjah Lailatul Shahreen Akashah Khalil of Perlis (third and fourth from right, respectively) at the Embassy booth during the VIP Preview Night. Also in photo is AEM Founder and Organiz-ing Chairman Datuk Sim Tiak Choo Vincent (leftmost).

(From left) Persatuan Kebajikan Pendidikan Kanak-Kanak Miskin (PKPKM) project manager Rosalyn Dawila Venning, Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya, Commission on Filipinos Overseas Chairperson Imelda Nicolas and Education Undersecretary Mario Deriquito sign the MOU on community-based alternative education for Filipino children in Sabah.

(DepEd, CFO, PHL Embassy Forge . . .from Page 1)

half of the Embassy, while heads and representatives of the ALCs signed for their respective institutions.

“Filipino children in Sabah are in a precarious situation and our initiatives are mere � rst steps in a long journey, but we are hopeful that with the dedi-cation of all stakeholders, we will be able to trans-form through education the lives of these children for the better,” Ambassador Malaya said.

Speci� c implementing arrangements are now being worked out, including the possibility of hold-ing a two-week training seminar for ALC teachers in the last quarter of this year. o

For the second consecutive year, the Philip-pine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur showcased the country’s mastery of the visual arts as noted

artist Clarence Eduarte joined the 2014 Art Expo Malaysia (AEM), which opened with a VIP Preview Night on Sep-tember 24 at the MATRADE Exhibition and Convention Center in Kuala Lumpur.

“It is our honor to bring once again one of the shin-ing stars in the Philippine arts scene to the Art Expo Ma-laysia. Mr. Eduarte is a � ne example of what Filipino art is known for– bold, deeply expressive, always experiment-ing, and authentic,” Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya said.

In describing his work, Mr. Eduarte said: “Painting is the best way to express God’s given creativity in me. The creative process of my work fuels energy, passion and ex-citement regardless of any particular subject. My working method is very physical and spontaneous. I try to push the medium to its limit, and I love the element of surprise in what the painting can produce.”

Other embasssies that participated were Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, the Netherlands, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Mongolia, and Romania. Filipino-born Belgian artist Gina Frias represented Belgium in the Em-bassy Row.

Mr. Eduarte is a winner of several Philippine art contests, including the Metrobank Foundation’s Art and Design Excellence and the Government Service Insurance System’s Painting Competitions.

His works are exhibited in well-known institutions (Philippine Daily Inquirer, Malayan Bank, JB Music Corpo-ration, Arco Drilling Corporation, San Jose Builders), hotels (Ra� es Hotel Makati, Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas, and Crim-son Hotel Alabang), and banks (Metrobank, Real Bank) in the Philippines, as well as in China and Singapore.

On its eighth year, the AEM is the longest-running art fair in the region, bringing in close to 400 artists from 78 exhibitors/galleries from 31 countries. Some 2,000

PHL Artist Shines in Art Expo Malaysia 2014

pieces of artworks--including paintings, sculptures, in-stallation, digital art and photography—were exhibited.

The event’s Royal Patrons were Raja Muda (Crown Prince) Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra and Raja Puan Muda (Crown Princess) Tuanku Hajjah Lailatul Shahreen Akashah Khalil of Perlis. o

(Left photo) Mr. Eduarte explains one of his artworks to Ambassador Malaya. (Right photo) Mr. Eduarte’s poster and works at the AEM 2014.

Diplomatic Brief 8 Layout .indd 2 10/29/14 9:35:07 PM

D I P L O M A T I C B R I E F 3

Secretary Nicolas (fourth from left) presents a token to Deputy Minister Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching (second from right). Also shown are Education Undersecretary Deriquito (third from left) and Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya (second from left), and other Malaysian Ministry of Education o� cials.

(DepEd, CFO O� cials Discuss...from Page 1)

forthcoming inaugural Joint Working Group Meet-ing under the MOU on Cooperation in the Field of Education to be held in Manila early next year.

“We are looking forward to our country’s host-ing the inaugural Joint Working Group Meeting in Manila next year, and we hope to have early imple-mentation of mutually bene� cial collaborative projects,” Ambassador Malaya said.

The Philippines-Malaysia MOU on Coopera-tion in the Field of Education was signed by PHL Foreign A� airs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario and Malaysian Minister for Education II Dato’ Seri Idris bin Jusoh on February 28, 2014, one of two agree-ments signed during the State Visit of President Benigno S. Aquino III to Malaysia in February this year upon the invitation of His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia. o

PHL Embassy Participates in ASEAN Food FestivalThe Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lum-

pur joined ASEAN Missions to showcase ASEAN unity in diversity at the ASEAN Food and Cultural Festival held on August 8, 2014 at the Taman Pudu Ulu Park in Kua-la Lumpur.

Organized by the Malaysian Youth Council and serving as its Hari Raya open house, the event brought together ASEAN Embassies in Kuala Lumpur and representatives from Malaysia’s states to showcase culture through food and cultural performances. Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin o� ciated the event.

Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya led the Philippine Embassy delega-tion, with Deputy Chief of Mission and Consul General Medardo Mac-araig, Third Secretaries and Vice Consuls John Francis Herrera and Alvin Malasig, Cultural Attache Hel-en Grace Cuisia and Attaches Em-ryss Esparto and Chiara Dulla.

“Food and cultural diplomacy is a wonderful way of showcasing Philippine culture, especially in a country like Malay-sia. We have found on several occasions that apart from nourishing bodies, Filipino food also provides comfort to the spirit,” Ambassador Malaya said.

The Embassy booth was a hit with the guests, as it served chicken adobo with rice and mini-turon. People � ocked the booth to get second servings, � nding both dishes unique and delicious.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyddin vis-ited the food booths, and during his stop at the Embassy booth, had a sample of adobo and asked how it is made. He also received a copy of Mama Sita’s cookbook, contain-ing receipes on halal Filipino dishes.

The ASEAN Food and Cultural Festi-val was held in conjunction with ASEAN Day, and was held as part of the Malaysian Youth Council’s ASEAN Youth Leaders’ Summit 2015 pre-summit. o

The Embassy booth showcased chicken adobo with rice and mini-turon. The booth also displayed trade and tourism brochures.

Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya presents a copy of Mama Sita’s cookbook to Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyd-din Yassin during the latter’s visit at the Philippine Embassy booth.

(Left photo) Cultural Attache Helen Grace Cuisia explains to guests how the food was made. (Right photo) Guests � ocking the Philippine Embassy booth.

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Diplomatic BRIEFThe Diplomatic Brief is a quarterly publication of the

Embassy of the Philippines No. 1 Changkat Kia Peng

Kuala Lumpur 50450 Malaysia(603) 2148-4233/9989/4862/4654

www.philembassykl.org.myEditorial Coordinator:

Johann Veronica M. AndalEditorial Assistant:

Emryss EspartoIt is published with the support of

Forex Cargo Malaysia (Alan Canlas and Tess Dizon)

Concept/design and layout by www.oscardecastro.ca

4 D I P L O M A T I C B R I E F

PHL Embassy Urges Unity Among Filipino-Muslims at EID’L FITR/Hari Raya Reception

Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya wel-comes guests at the Hari Raya recep-tion.

The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur urged Filipino Muslims to continue to strengthen unity among themselves and their solidarity with the rest of the Filipino community.

Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya made the call during the Eid’l Fitr/Hari Raya reception held at the Em-bassy’s B. Vista Community Hall on August 9, 2014.

This is the third consecutive year the Philippine Embassy hosted a Hari Raya reception for the Filipino-Muslim community and Malaysian friends.

Present during the event were some 150 guests, notably o� cials and members of the Union of Muslim Filipinos in Malaysia (UMFM), Filipi-no-Muslim students in Kuala Lumpur and their Malaysian friends.

The program started with an opening prayer led by Ustadz Kiram Makoro followed by welcome re-marks from Ambassador Malaya.

“This Hari Raya Reception is the best attended thus far through the years, and it signi� es our unity as Filipinos. We are several miles apart from our homeland, far from our families and loved ones, yet we seldom feel homesick. We draw our strength from each other, and from every Filipino who is present here today, may he be a Muslim, Christian or of some other faith,” Ambassador Malaya said.

“I am glad to welcome the members of the Union of Muslim Filipinos in Malaysia (UMFM), and our other guests. The UMFM has grown in strength each year, and the friend-ship and camaraderie among you have remained strong. We at the Philippine Embassy are very proud of

your achievements,” he added.Also present were Malaysian

Ministry of Tourism and Culture Assis-tant Secretary Atty. Amilizan Mazlan, UMFM Vice Presidents Omar Bin Bito (Internal) and Jamela Bint Abdullah (External and Women’s Sector) and Head of Committee on Religious Af-fairs Alim Cairoden Datu Solaiman Lao.

The UMFM, led by its President Jamel Camayodin, was established on October 28, 2012. It is a member of the Federation of Filipino Associations in Malaysia (FFAM), and has been ac-tive in Filipino community activities including the Philippine Indepen-dence Day Parade every June.

For his part, Mr. Lao thanked the Embassy and its o� cers and sta� for their support to the Filipino-Muslim community in Malaysia, and noted that it is through Embassy’s e� orts that the UMFM grows its strength and membership.

The Hari Raya feast started with a du’a by Imam Hamza Balt. There were also performances by Najib Tago, Ras-muddin Mimbantas and the Misbah Group. o

Pamaskong Handog Free Concert“Tribute to Mentors and Overseas Filipinos”

Sunday, December 14, 2014, 1:00 – 5:00 PM Life Centre, #20 Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur

Featured Artists: Regine Velasquez, Derek Ramsay, Michael Pangilinan, Ate Gay & Regina

Presented by Gabay Guro Foundation in cooperation with the Embassy of the Philippines and SMART Pinoy

Sponsored by: PLDT HOME, PLDT SME Nation, PLDT ALPHA Enterprise, PLDT-SMART-SUN

Supported by the Federation of Filipino Associations in Malaysia (FFAM), Filipino Businessmen & Professionals Caucus (FBPC), & Aloft Hotel

Filipino Scholars at BERJAYA University College of Hospitality

life,”said Mae Ho, Chief Operating O� cer at BERJAYA UCH.

Arnel Bongcasan, one of the scholarship students, states, “I was very excited about receiving this scholarship. Due to my � nancial situation, this is one opportunity that I will never take for granted. This grant is helping me with my education goals, and does not bur-den my family. I am under no obligation to Berjaya after graduation but ethically, I am obligated to do well so I can pay it forward.”

Paul Soo, Country Head of Berjaya Group Philippines, remarks: “After they graduate, the scholars will not be under obligation to Berjaya. What we expect from them is that they study hard in order to uplift their quali� cations. Our main ob-jective is to give quali� ed but underprivi-leged students a step up in life.”

The Berjaya Foundation Inc. has also helped NGO Gawad Kalinga through the construction of 200 houses amounting to Php20 million. Since 2012, the Foundation has built 820 houses in the Philippines. During his 2013 visit to the Philippines, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, the founder of Ber-jaya Corporation Berhad pledged Php100 million to the Gawad Kalinga Fund to help � nance the building of houses in various parts of the Philippines.

Berjaya Philippines Inc. operates Philippine Gaming Management Corpo-ration, Berjaya Auto Philippines, Berjaya Pizza Philippines, Berjaya Makati Hotel Philippines, Friendster, Loadcentral and MOL. (Source: BERJAYA University Col-lege of Hospitality) o

Thirty-two students from low in-come families in the Philippines received scholarships to � nance their college edu-cation at the BERJAYA University College of Hospitality in Kuala Lumpur.

Funded by Berjaya Foundation Inc., the CSR (Corporate Social Responsi-bility) arm of Berjaya Group Philippines, the students received � nancial aid to cover accommodation and living ex-penses with full scholarships for diploma programmes. Fifteen students opted for Culinary Arts; nine students Tourism and Travel Management; � ve students Event Management, and three students for Re-tail Management.

Scholarship recipients were chosen based on eligibility, interest in the indus-try and � nancial need. Maintaining the scholarships are contingent on the stu-dents maintaining above average grades

Aside from course work, the stu-dents were also placed on internships for one semester with companies spe-cialising in their � elds of studies. “These industrial placements enable students to put knowledge gained during their studies into practice and develop new skills, thereby gaining valuable insights of the professional environment. They get to build on what they have learned and improve their � nal semester perfor-mance by drawing on their placement experience. They increase their chances of securing a graduate job as employers often use placement experience as an ex-tended interview for a graduate position and, in general, improve their employ-ability while preparing for professional

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