Vin d’Honneur (Speech) 6/12/2023

Описание: Malacañan Palace
June 12, 2023

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. hosts the traditional reception or vin d’honneur for the diplomatic corps in Malacañan Palace during the 125th Anniversary of Philippine Independence and Nationhood on June 12, 2023.

“The Philippines has gone a long way as a sovereign state, as a member of the international community since its birth as the first republic of Asia in 1898,” the President says in his toast remarks, noting that the country has stood shoulder to shoulder with many countries in war and in peace, apart from building strong ties with many nations in the pursuit of Philippine interests over the years.

“We have been at the forefront, either as a lead or as a proponent, in the global discourse supporting peace and security; social and gender equity; migration; climate change; and other consequential issues in the global agenda. Guided by our independent foreign policy, we continue to conduct our external affairs with national interest as the primordial guide. Our decisions will be grounded on what we determine is best for our people and for our country. We uphold respect and dignity in our dealings with other countries, and expect the same and have been, have received the same from all other countries. We engage everyone. We are friends to all and enemy to none,” he emphasizes.

The Chief Executive marks today’s occasion with a firm resolve to steer the country to a high-growth path whose effects will be felt by ordinary Filipinos and calls on his countrymen for unity and solidarity as the nation rises anew from the pandemic.

“On this note, I ask you all to join me in a toast. To our friends from the diplomatic community, may we continue to strengthen the ties that bind our countries and peoples together. Let us always look for ways to take our relations to new heights; To our colleagues in government and partners from the private sector, let us continue to draw inspiration from the courage and determination that our ancestors, of our ancestors as we work hand-in-hand to better the lot of every Filipino,” President Marcos Jr. concludes as he offers a toast to all the guests.

Resident and Non-Resident Ambassadors, Charge d’Affaires and Officers-in-Charge (OICs) of embassies from 76 countries, as well as Heads of 12 International Organizations, are among the attendees in tonight’s occasion.

Vin d’honneur comes from the French practice which means ‘wine of honor’. Over the years in the Philippine context, the occasion is held biannually in Malacañan Palace to mark the New Year and celebrate the anniversary of Philippine independence.

Likewise, it has come to be considered primarily a diplomatic event that features an exchange of toast between the President of the Philippines and the Papal Nuncio who is the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps. In Catholic countries or those nations that formerly belonged to the Spanish Empire, the senior diplomat or Dean in the diplomatic corps is the Papal Nuncio or ambassador, by tradition.

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