Phnom Penh, 18 June 2024 – Her Excellency Flerida Ann Camille P. Mayo, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Philippines to the Kingdom of Cambodia, presented her credentials to His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia on 17 June 2024 at the Royal Palace.

King Norodom Sihamoni received the Philippine Ambassador and her entourage in a Royal Audience where he immediately extended his best regards to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and congratulations on the occasion of the 126th anniversary of declaration of independence. 

His Majesty spoke at length on the overarching goals of peace, stability and development in Cambodia’s ties with the Philippines. The King and the Philippine Ambassador focused their discussions on key priorities of the bilateral relationship, including various areas of cooperation such as education, agriculture, tourism, trade, security and defense and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. 

Ambassador Mayo took the occasion to put front and center the contributions of Philippine enterprises and thousands of Filipinos working in the Kingdom to Cambodian national development.  In particular, she lauded the spirit of volunteerism moving Filipinos in Cambodia to build homes, serve in medical missions, care for rural communities, and run teachers’ camps, among other civic works.   She likewise highlighted the work of PH NGOs including in fostering media literacy among Cambodian parents and children as well as the joint efforts of Filipino missionaries and Cambodian monks to uplift lives in the countryside.   She affirmed the Embassy’s support for Filipino community initiatives to make friends with the Cambodian people and to make a difference in their lives.

His Majesty offered to the Philippine Ambassador gifts of traditional Cambodian silver craft and publications on his coronation 20 years ago and about the King Father Norodom Sihanouk.  Reciprocating the gesture, Ambassador Mayo presented a painting which she had personally commissioned for His Majesty.  Entitled “The Ballerinas”, the 2’ x 3’ acrylic on canvas artwork by Filipino artist Shai Lirio pays homage to His Majesty’s love for classical dance which he taught as a professor in France in the 1980s.

Ambassador Mayo is a trained diplomat whose foreign service career spans 42 years. Phnom Penh is her seventh foreign posting. END