RIYADH, 21 April 2006 — Ambassador Bahnarim A. Guinomla last night formally bade goodbye to the Filipino community in Riyadh, saying that he will be moving to Ankara, Turkey, at the end of the month. In a despedida (send-off party) attended by community representatives at the Philippine Embassy, he said that his stint as envoy to the Kingdom was a very challenging and fruitful one. In his speech, he thanked “all those who supported my stewardship of the mission,” adding that he was looking forward to another experience in his new assignment, in which he will have jurisdiction over Georgia and Azerbaijan. Summarizing his accomplishment in his three-years-and-nine-months stay in the Kingdom, he said he did his very best to look after the welfare and rights of the numerous distressed Filipino workers in the Kingdom. He also cited the strengthening of bilateral relations between the Kingdom and the Philippines, exchange of trade delegations, creation of the Philippine-Saudi Business Council, signing of at least four important agreements, and the convening of the Joint-Bilateral Commission. He said the mission also provided assistance to high-level delegations, including two visits by Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, sending of Saudi trade missions to the Philippines, including one to Mindanao. Charge d’Affaires On Wednesday night, embassy staff also gave a send-off party for the ambassador, during which he announced that Second Secretary and Consul Germinia Aguilar-Usudan will be the charge d’affaires until the DFA assigns a more senior official to head the mission. “I thank you all for the hard work and cooperation extended to me and your colleagues at the embassy during my watch,” he told the gathering in a voice laced with mixed emotions of euphoria and sadness. He made a brief rundown of what each section of the embassy has accomplished during his tour of duty. He said that the consular section under Usudan has issued 25,800 passports at the end of 2005. An average of 200 passports a day have been issued and 150 visas are issued monthly. He noted that 100 Filipino babies are born in the Central and Eastern Regions monthly. Guinomla added that the mission has also been rendering consular services at the Eastern Province, where 300 passports are issued every visit. The embassy sends a team to that place every month. He said the embassy has also been registering voters for the overseas absentee voting (OAV). He also lauded the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) under Labor Attaché Manuel Roldan . “I commend POLO under Dodong Roldan, a fellow Mindanaoan who will also go soon to another holy place, which is Rome,” he said, evoking laughter from the audience. He added: “We have a job to do and we do it.” He also commended Vice Consuls Gerry Abiog and Romulo Victor Israel. Abiog is in charge of the political section, OAV, and a unit of the Assistance to Nationals. Israel, on the other hand, is in charge of ASEAN affairs, economic section and other Assistance to Nationals affairs. The staff, in return, paid tribute to Guinomla in a 45-minute video production by Jun Deriada, daughter Delza Deriada, Jun Bayabao and Cultural Attaché Carmelita Hidalgo. | 
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