40th Consular Ball: Celebrating friendship, cooperation & understanding

The black tie 2015 Consular Ball of the Philippines held at the Rizal Ballroom of the Makati Shangri-La Manila saw the members of the diplomatic corps gathered together for one single cause: to foster understanding, friendship and cooperation among career-professional and honorary consuls of foreign countries in the Philippines.

But more than just a social organization of diplomats and consuls, the Consular Corps of the Philippines (CCP) — a member of the World Federation of Consuls — engages in noteworthy development projects that benefit numerous communities in the country. This common goal to make lives better for others is only one of the things that bind the members and their spouses. The CCP collaborates with the Department of Foreign Affairs on various projects such as the scholarship program spearheaded by the DFA Ladies Foundation. The group also assists foreigners in the country with the help of the Bureau of Immigration.

This year’s affair, hosted by Johnny Litton, was spearheaded by incoming 2016 Consular Corps Dean and ball chairperson and Honorary Consul General of Monaco Fortune Ledesma with help from co-chairpersons Gambia Honorary Consul Agnes Huibonhoa, US Consul General Donna Blair, Tanzania Honorary Consul Betty Chua and outgoing Consular Corps Dean Tetsuro Amano, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Japan.

Among the other projects supported by the Corps include the reforestation and planting of over 30,000 mangrove propagules in Occidental Mindoro in support of the climate change efforts of the province; fundraising activities for disaster preparedness, relief and rehabilitation for the survivors of typhoons and other natural calamities and disasters. It also provides assistance to abandoned and seriously ill children and elderly people in partnership with the Asia America Initiative. Photos by RAMON JOSEPH J. RUIZ