President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. conferred the rank Datu (Grand Cross) to outgoing Singaporean Ambassador Gerard Ho Wei during the diplomat’s visit to Malacanang on Tuesday.
The President also cited Ho’s achievements in further strengthening ties between the two countries, and conveyed his “heartfelt appreciation” for all that Ho has done for the Philippines during his stint in Manila.
The Chief Executive particularly noted the increase in trade and investment from Singapore that were palpably felt in the Philippines during Ho’s tenure.
Marcos conferred on Ho the Order of Sikatuna with the Rank of Datu (Grand Cross) Silver Distinction in recognition of the envoy’s “significant contributions in strengthening the partnership and overall relations between the Philippines and Singapore.”
Among Ambassador Ho’s notable contributions as read in the citation include his support and facilitation of numerous government-to-government cooperation agreements in the areas of economic, security and people-to-people; his efforts to obtain and provide humanitarian assistance to the country in times of naturaldisasters and during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; and his initiatives to foster amity and mutual appreciation between the peoples of the Philippines and Singapore, among others.