HE Ambassador Lillibeth V. Pono with HE Ambassador Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhro, Director of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, as the latter welcomes Her Excellency to Doha. (Image credit: Philippine Embassy in Qatar)
DOHA: The Philippine Embassy in Qatar announced on its Facebook page today, January 30, the arrival of the first Philippine woman ambassador to Qatar.
HE Lillibeth Velasco Pono arrived in Doha yesterday, January 29, and was received by the Director of Protocol Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, HE Ambassador Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhro. Ambassador Pono was also welcomed by the Philippine Embassy’s officers and staff.
The newly appointed envoy who replaced ambassador Alan L. Timbayan previously served as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim in the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, Germany from February 2018 to April 2019, and from July 2021 to January 2023 prior to her arrival in Qatar.
A foreign service officer since 1997, Pono was also previously assigned to the Philippine Embassies in Berne, Switzerland from 2010 to 2014; Rome, Italy from 2009 to 2010; Vatican, Italy from 2008 to 2009; and Tokyo, Japan from 2000 to 2007. She also served as Executive Director at the Office of Asset Management and Support Services, the Office of Consular Affairs, and at the Office of Fiscal Management Services.
According to the embassy, Pono is a certified public accountant and speaks Filipino, Cebuano, English, Italian, and Spanish.
She will serve as the 8th resident Philippine Ambassador to Qatar. The first was Antonio B. Magtibay (1994-1998), succeeded by Amado S Tolentino, Jr. (1999-2002), Wenceslao Jose O. Quirolgico (2002-2005), Isaias F. Begonia (2005-2009), Crescente R. Relacion (2009-2015) Wilfredo C. Santos (2015-2017), and Alan L. Timbayan (2017-2022).
On December 1, 2022, Ambassador Pono attended a courtesy call of newly appointed and confirmed Philippine ambassadors presided over by Philippine President HE Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. at the Malacañan Palace in Manila. During the meeting, President Marcos urged the diplomats to "foster partnerships with all our neighbors” and to continuously look for opportunities for business and partnerships for the Philippines as the country navigates out of a "pandemic economy".
Diplomatic relations between the Republic of the Philippines and the State of Qatar were established on May 5, 1981. The Philippine Embassy in Doha opened in May 1992.
There are as many as 250,000 Filipinos living in Qatar, according to the Philippine state news agency's latest update.
