THE Malaysian Embassy held a media appreciation day on May 11 to introduce its new ambassador, Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino bin Anthony, in a luncheon at its own building in Salcedo Village, Makati City.

Castelino, who presented his credentials to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in March, expressed eagerness to strengthen the bilateral relations between Malaysia and the Philippines on his first engagement with the local media.

The two nations established diplomatic relations in 1959, with bilateral cooperation covering education, culture, arts and heritage, communication, defense, youth and sports, trade, agriculture, labor and security.

“Malaysia regards the Philippines as a very important trading partner. It is the fifth largest trading partner among Association of Southeast Nations (Asean) and the 15th globally, with a total bilateral trade reaching almost US$8 billion. Our close and long existing relations provide a strong foundation for a more active and meaningful economic cooperation in the future that would bring tremendous benefits to our people. Two practical and viable areas that would benefit from closer cooperation are the halal industry and digital economy,” he related in part in his speech, before local Malaysian food prepared by Chef Ammar, was served.

In welcoming the new ambassador in Malacañang in March, Marcos recognized Kuala Lumpur’s role in bringing peace to the Southern Philippines, and expressed hope that Malaysia would continue participating in the development of the Bangsamoro region.

On Saturday, the ambassador graced the opening of Nine Fresh Restaurant at Berjaya Makati Hotel.

Like how he prepared the Malaysian porridge “bubur lambuk” to end the day of fasting toward the end of Ramadan in April and distributed the dish to Philippines government officials and to the Islamic community in Taguig, Ambassador Castelino believes that sharing food results in good relations in the community.