As the Singaporean community in the Philippines celebrates the 57th Singapore National Day, Vice President Sara Z. Duterte on Wednesday expressed her admiration for the neighboring country’s development amid the diversity of culture.
“Singapore has always been close to my heart. We have always admired the development, peace, and order, as well as the balance of tradition and modernity whenever I visit your beautiful country,” Duterte said to a crowd of hundreds gathered at the Hyatt Hotel.
“I am pleased to know that our governments have sustained our close cooperation through the years. It is my hope that our relations with Singapore will continue to flourish and that our engagements would further expand during the current administration,” she added.
She said Singapore “continues to be an important partner in developing our country’s fuel resources through capacity-building programs.”
“In the last three years, there have been 57 scholars for foreign training under the Singapore Cooperation Program,” she noted.
As Education Secretary, Duterte pointed out that the Philippines “has so much to learn from Singapore’s education system which is considered as one of the best in the world.”
Meanwhile, Singapore’s Ambassador to the Philippines Gerard Ho thanked Filipinos in Singapore “who make sacrifices and contributed a lot in the most difficult times.”
“Special shoutout to the frontline health care workers of the Philippines who did an amazing job in Singapore. Thank you, Philippines,” he said.
Aside from the Singaporeans, Philippine government officials, members of the diplomatic and consular corps, and the business community also witnessed the event.