PGMA's Speech during a State Dinner in honor of President Ion Iliescu of Romania |
Ceremonial Hall, Malacanang (19 February 2002) |
| HIS EXCELLENCY
PRESIDENT ILIESCU; VICE PRESIDENT AND MRS. GUINGONA; SENATE PRESIDENT AND MRS. DRILON; SPEAKER AND MRS. DE VENECIA; OUR HONORABLE CHAIRMEN OF THE COMMITTEE OF FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF ROMANIA; FRIENDS IN THE PHILIPPINES; MEMBERS OF THE DELEGATION OF HIS EXCELLENCY; LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: HIS EXCELLENCY COMES FROM A LAND FAR AWAY BUT IN A WAY VERY NEAR TO THE HEARTS AND THE MINDS AND THE CULTURE AND THE SOUL OF THE PHILIPPINES. WE HAVE MANY THINGS IN COMMON WITH ROMANIA EVEN IF ROMANIA MAY BE SO FAR AWAY. FOR ONE, JUST AS THE PHILIPPINES IS A LATIN COUNTRY IN A SEA SURROUNDED BY OTHER ASIATIC CULTURES ROMANIA ALSO IS A LATIN COUNTRY SURROUNDED BY SLAVIK COUNTRIES IN EASTERN EUROPE. SO ROMANIA IS MORE AKIN TO THE PHILIPPINES CULTURALLY THAN IT IS TO ITS NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES IN EASTERN EUROPE. THIS IS AN OLD RELATIONSHIP BUT A MORE CONTEMPORARY ONE THAT WE SHARE TOGETHER IN THIS CENTURY AND CENTURY JUST PASSED THE CENTURY WHERE WE HAVE REEMERGING DEMOCRACIES IS OUR COMMON JOURNEY FROM DICTATORSHIP TO DEMOCRACY. THE PHILIPPINES WAS ABLE TO ACHIEVE THIS DURING THE PEOPLE POWER REVOLUTION AND WE ARE NOW ABOUT CELEBRATE THE PEOPLE POWER REVOLUTION FROM FEBRUARY 22nd TO FEBRUARY 25th. IN 1989 ROMANIA ALSO UNDERWENT THE SAME JOURNEY FROM DICTATORSHIP TO DEMOCRACY. HIS EXCELLENCY SHARES THE SAME HISTORY AS NINOY AQUINO AND CORY AQUINO PUT TOGETHER BECAUSE IN 1971 WHEN THERE WAS A RE-BEGINNING OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION IN THE COUNTRY OF ROMANIA HIS EXCELLENCY WAS ONE OF THE INTELLECTUALS WHO THOUGHT TOO INDEPENDENTLY AND THEREFORE WAS SENT TO EXILE JUST LIKE NINOY AQUINO. AND NOW HIS EXCELLENCY IS PRESIDENT OF ROMANIA AS PRESIDENT AQUINO BECAME PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES. SO, WE HAVE IN OUR MIDST A GUEST WHO BRINGS THEREFORE HOPEFULLY MORE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PEOPLES FROM ACROSS LANDS BUT PEOPLES WHO SHARE WITH US MANY THINGS IN COMMON, AND THIS SIMPLY SHOWS US THAT INDEED THE WORLD IS NOT SUCH A BIG WORLD AFTER ALL. IT IS A SMALL WORLD BECAUSE WE SEE SOMETHING IN COMMON WITH A COUNTRY THAT MANY CONTEMPORARY FILIPINOS REALLY DO NOT KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT. AND SO I'M VERY GRATEFUL YOUR EXCELLENCY THAT YOU HAVE COME TO THE PHILIPPINES. IT IS A GOOD TIME IN THIS 21st CENTURY WHEN THE WORLD IS SHRINKING THAT OUR COUNTRIES SHOULD GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER. I HAVE THE GREAT FORTUNE OF BEING ABLE TO VISIT YOUR COUNTRY IN 1971 AT THE TIME IN FACT THAT ROMANIA WAS ENTERING A NEW CHAPTER IN YOUR HISTORY AND NOW YOU HAVE COME HERE, THE FIRST ROMANIAN HEAD OF GOVERNMENT TO BE ABLE TO COME TO THE PHILIPPINES IN THIS MODERN TIMES. LET US HOPE THEREFORE THAT THIS VISIT OF HIS EXCELLENCY WILL BE THE BEGINNING OF GREATER FRIENDSHIP, GREATER INTERACTION AND GREATER MUTUAL ASSISTANCE IN THE FIGHT THAT BOTH OUR COUNTRIES ARE WAGING AGAINST POVERTY AND TOWARDS THE PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE DEMOCRACY. AND SO I ASK EVERYONE TONIGHT TO JOIN ME IN A TOAST: TO HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT ION ILIESCU, PRESIDENT OF ROMANIA. |