DFA spokesperson now Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Charles Jose. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) assistant secretary and spokesperson Charles Jose left for Kuala Lumpur last Black Saturday, April 15, to begin his duty as the new Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia.
In a statement, the DFA said Jose will be replaced by career diplomat Robespierre Bolivar as acting DFA spokesperson and officer in charge of the Office of Undersecretary for Policy (OUP).
Bolivar is current deputy to then undersecretary and now acting DFA chief Enrique Manalo. He was first assigned to the OUP when he was a Junior Foreign Service Officer in the 1990s, together with Jose.
“Mr. Bolivar handles ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and ASEAN Regional Forum-related matters, a portfolio that he handled when he was first assigned to OUP. Handling this demanding portfolio has enabled Mr. Bolivar to ably lead Philippine delegations to several ASEAN Regional Forum meetings and to co-chair, on behalf of the Philippines, the ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-sessional Meeting on Maritime Security last February,” the DFA said.
Bolivar also served as Deputy Chief of Mission and Consul General at the Philippine Mission to the European Union and Philippine Embassy to Belgium and Luxembourg, based in Brussels, Belgium. He also served in various capacities at the Philippine Embassy in Russia and the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, Canada, the DFA added.
Jose’s appointment as Philippine envoy to Malaysia was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments in October last year.
Jose, a seasoned diplomat, was Philippine consul general in Shanghai and held key posts in the diplomatic offices in Beijing, Chongqing, Bangkok and in Singapore. JE/rga
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