The Yuletide season is the most important time of the year for us Filipinos. With our families, friends and loved ones, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and cherish the blessings we received throughout the year from our Heavenly Father. The season is marked by unconditional acts of giving and serving others with grateful hearts.

We in the Embassy of the Philippines are one with the Filipino Community in Korea in celebrating the miracle of Christmas. As we look back on the passing year, our hearts are filled with gratitude for the privilege to serve our country and kababayans. The Embassy has not relented on its mission to be an advocate of the interests of the Philippines and the Filipino people. We seized opportunities to raise the level of bilateral relations between the Philippines and Korea, and cultivate friendship and cooperation between our peoples. We promoted economic relations between the Philippines and Korea through trade and investment, official development assistance, as well as people-to-people contact through cultural exchanges, educational exchanges, and of course, tourism. We actively engaged in defense and security cooperation. We also undertook activities to protect the interests and welfare of Filipinos in Korea. The longstanding partnership between the Philippines and Korea was underscored by the bilateral meeting between President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and President Moon Jae-in in November, and the high-level visits of Philippine officials including Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano in September, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea in May, and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez in June. Please allow me to express my sincere appreciation for the unwavering support of the Filipino Community in Korea. With our teamwork, the spirit of the season is felt throughout the year as obstacles are transformed into opportunities, and trials into triumphs for the Philippines and the Filipino people. Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon! RAUL S. HERNANDEZ Ambassador