Mariño’s tour of duty was first extended for three months after it ended on June 30 following change in administration in the Philippines this year. After September 30, Minister and Consul General Vicente Bandillo serves as the Philippines’ Chargé d’ Affaires in Palau until Mariño’s re-appointment is confirmed.
In an interview, Mariño said he will be in the Philippines probably until January while he awaits his reappointment.
With national holidays and office recess in November and December in the Philippines, the Ambassador’s reappointment confirmation may take a while.
“We have no idea how long the process is going to take,” Bandillo also said in an interview. “As soon as the President of the Philippines signs his appointment papers and the Commission on Appointment confirms it, Ambassador Mariño will be back in Palau.”
During Mariño’s term, close cooperation among the Filipino community members in Palau flourished. The Filipino community on the island comprises one-fourth of Palau’s workforce.
Mariño also gave his commitment to the island’s medical referral program, which continues to help Palau’s citizens who are seeking admission in Philippine hospitals.
According to the Philippine Embassy, “Through the ambassador’s initiative, several memorandums of agreement (MOAs) between the governments of Palau and the Philippines have been signed, and now a few more are being scheduled for signing very soon.”
Some of these MOAs, the Embassy said, focus on aquaculture and agriculture as well as labor cooperation. “These are expected to further strengthen economic and political ties between the two countries.”
