BANGKOK, 04 December 2023 – Philippine Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Millicent Cruz Paredes paid a courtesy call on H.E. Wanmuhamadnoor Matha, President of the National Assembly and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Thailand, on 23 November 2023, at the Thai National Assembly Building in Bangkok.

Ambassador Millicent Cruz Paredes (extreme left) and House Speaker Wanmuhamadnoor Matha (extreme right) during the courtesy call

On the occasion of their first formal meeting, Ambassador Paredes congratulated Speaker Wanmuhamadnoor, a veteran lawmaker and cabinet minister of Thailand, on his election into the House of Representatives on 14 May 2023 and unopposed election as House Speaker on 04 July 2023.

The Speaker shared his strong affinity toward the Filipino people, recalling his visit to the Philippines in 1997 during his first term as President of the Thai National Assembly. He recalled how then President Fidel V. Ramos and House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. warmly received him. He also fondly shared how he still wears the barong tagalog that was gifted to him.

Ambassador Paredes and Speaker Wanmuhamadnoor exchanged stories of the longstanding friendship between the Philippines and Thailand, from the countries’ partnership as founding members of ASEAN to the ongoing joint preparations for the 75th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2024.

Both sides further discussed the exchange of high-level visits between the Philippines and Thailand. The Speaker lauded the participation of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting hosted by Thailand in 2022 and thanked the Philippine Government for the hospitality shown to Thai Senate President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai and his delegation to the 31st Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) which was taking place in Manila at the time of the call.

Ambassador Paredes invited the Thai National Assembly to participate in the 75th Anniversary celebrations next year, which may be led by the respective parliamentary friendship groups of the Thai National Assembly and the Congress of the Philippines.

Noting that the Speaker hails from Yala, one of the Southern Border Provinces of Thailand, Ambassador Paredes informed the Speaker of her recent trip to the Deep South and meetings with the Governors of Songkhla, Pattani, and Satun, the Deputy Governors of Narathiwat, and the Deputy Governor and a Mayor of Yala.

In her meetings with the provincial leaders, the Ambassador thanked the Southern Border Provinces officials for taking good care of the overseas Filipino community living and working there – mostly educators in schools and universities entrusted by the Thai people to mold their youth’s development. In this connection, Ambassador Paredes thanked the Thai National Assembly for its contribution to the well-being of all Filipinos who chose Thailand as their second home. The Speaker in turn thanked the Philippines for its contribution to Thailand’s development, through the Thais who obtained their education in the Philippines and since returned to Thailand to become leaders and change-makers.

Ambassador Paredes further lauded the Speaker’s staunch advocacy of peace and economic development in the Deep South of Thailand. Ambassador Paredes shared with him the Philippines’ Mindanao Peace Process and the significant role and contribution of women to peace and security, noting the shared hope for lasting peace in our countries. Speaker Wanmuhamadnoor signified his desire to visit the Philippines, specifically the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and meet his counterparts in Congress and the local leaders in Southern Mindanao, for a sharing of experiences. END