President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (right) meets with New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Kell (left) for a farewell call at the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Photo from the Facebook page of the Presidential Communications Office
MANILA, Philippines — New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Kell made a farewell call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the Malacañan Palace.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Marcos and Kell recognized during their meeting the strengthened diplomatic ties between the Philippines and New Zealand.
READ: New Zealand commemorates Waitangi Day in PH
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (center) meets with New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Kell (left) for a farewell call at the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Also in the photo are other government and embassy officials. Photo from the Facebook page of the Presidential Communications Office
“PBBM thanked Ambassador Kell for his contributions, and expressed his commitment to fostering stronger bilateral cooperation in key sectors,” the PCO said.
Meanwhile, in a statement from the PCO, Kell said that he is confident that he will leave his post with “Philippine-New Zealand relations stronger than ever.”
“Pero may malakas akong kumpiyansang aalis ako dito ng may matibay na ugnayang pang New Zealand at Pilipinas,” Kell said, who learned to speak Tagalog while in the country.
(But I am confident that I will leave here with a strong connection between New Zealand and the Philippines.)
“Kaya’t dito, gusto ko, gusto ko sana ipahayag sa inyo na maraming salamat. Taos puso akong nagpapasalamat sa inyong suporta, sa inyong pagtutulong sa aming bansa, at para palakasin ang ugnayan ng New Zealand at Pilipinas,” he added.
(So here, I want, I would like to express to you my heartfelt thanks. I am sincerely grateful for your support, for your assistance to our country, and for strengthening the relationship between New Zealand and the Philippines.)
In response, Marcos thanked Kell for his initiatives to make the relationship between the two countries better.
“Asahan mo at maraming salamat sa iyong magandang salita at kami naman ay nagagalak na sa panahon mo dito sa bansang Pilipinas at kasama ang aming, ang aming mamamayan ay nakita mo at naramdaman mo ang kabutihan ng ugali ng Pilipino,” said Marcos.
(Thank you very much for your kind words. We are also glad that during your time here in the Philippines, you have witnessed and felt the kindness of the Filipino people, along with our citizens.)
Kell was bidding farewell after completing four years of diplomatic service in the Philippines.
He started his tour of duty in the Philippines in 2020.
New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Kell (right) and other embassy officials during a farewell call at the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Photo from the Facebook page of the Presidential Communications Office