Ambassador Evangeline T. Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq presented her Letter of Credence to the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat today, formally commencing her tenure as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Philippines to ASEAN.
The Presentation of Credential Ceremony was followed by a courtesy call, during which Secretary-General Dr. Kao congratulated Ambassador Evangeline on her new appointment and expressed confidence in her ability tocontribute meaningfully to ASEAN Community-building and integration efforts. He underscored that the Ambassador’s extensive diplomatic experience would serve as a valuable asset to the work of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR).
Secretary-General Dr. Kao also commended the Philippines for its steadfast commitment and valuablecontributions to ASEAN. He underlined the pivotal role of the Philippines as ASEAN Chair in 2026 in advancing the implementation of ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future. He also acknowledged the important contributions of the Philippines in enhancing ASEAN’s external relations and maintaining ASEAN Centrality and unity, particularly as the Country Coordinator for ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations for the period of 2024-2027.
Ambassador Evangeline is the Philippines’ sixth Permanent Representative to ASEAN since the CPR’s establishment in 2009. She previously served as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, while concurrently holding the position of Chair-Alternate of the Technical Cooperation Council of the Philippines (TCCP), chaired by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs.
Secretary-General Dr. Kao reaffirmed the ASEAN Secretariat’s readiness to support Ambassador Evangelineand the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to ASEAN in Jakarta, emphasising the importance of continued collaboration between the CPR and the ASEAN Secretariat to achieve ASEAN’s goals and objectives.
