11 December 2021, Calgary – Philippine Ambassador to Canada Rodolfo Robles made his first official visit to Alberta on 5 to 8 December 2021.
Ambassador Robles, who assumed his post in Ottawa in October 2020, visited the cities of Airdrie and Calgary and attended several activities arranged for him by the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary.
For his first official activity, Ambassador Robles visited Alberta’s first Dr. José Rizal Monument in Nose Creek Regional Park in Airdrie on 6 December 2021. Philippine Consul General to Calgary Zaldy Patron accompanied Ambassador Robles to the Rizal Monument and introduced him to the members of the Rizal Monument Project Team and the officers of the Filipino Airdrie Association.
Ambassador Robles expressed his pride at seeing the Rizal Monument, which he called “an expression of the Filipinos’ nationalism and bayanihan spirit.” He commended the Philippine Consulate General for initiating and leading the Rizal Monument project in Airdrie.
After the visit to the Rizal Monument, Ambassador Robles proceeded to the Airdrie City Hall to pay a courtesy call on Mayor Peter Brown. Ambassador Robles expressed his gratitude to Mayor Brown and the City of Airdrie for hosting the very first monument of the Philippines’ national hero in Alberta. The two officials discussed the positive impact of the growing Filipino population in the development of the City of Airdrie. They also talked about possible areas of cooperation between the Philippines and Airdrie.
On 7 December 2021, Ambassador Robles called on Deputy Mayor and Councillor Raj Dhaliwal at Calgary’s Historic City Hall. They exchanged ideas on how to facilitate credentials recognition for immigrants in Calgary, including Filipinos. Likewise, they explored steps to support Filipino small and medium enterprises in Calgary.
Following the call, Ambassador Robles had a short meet-and-greet session with some Filipino Canadian employees of Calgary’s City Hall.
