21 June 2010, Herzliya, Israel – the Embassy of the Republic of Korea organized a memorial ceremony in commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War.  Ambassador Petronila P. Garcia attended the ceremony and delivered her remarks as a troop contributing country.  She thanked the Korean government for recognizing the role that the Philippines played during the Korean War and recalled that the Philippines, despite being a young country emerging and recovering from the scourge of the second World War, sent an Expeditionary Force to Korea to join the war.  She also noted that for over a period of five years, the Philippines had sent more than seven thousand soldiers to fight alongside South Korean and other international troops..

The Philippines sent its best and brightest young men.  From among them were two young lieutenants by the names of Mr. Nicanor Jimenez and Mr. Ernesto Gidaya who later returned to the Republic of Korea, on separate occasions, as Ambassadors.  Prior to this, Ambassador Gidaya served as military attaché then later as Ambassador to Israel.  Furthermore, Lt. Fidel Ramos, who bravely fought in the Korean War, later joined the government and became the 12th President of the Philippines in 1992.

Ambassador Garcia underscored that the Korean War was a turning point for Asia.  She said that it was a litmus test for countries committed to the principles of peace, freedom and democracy in the region.

She ended her speech by encouraging everyone to continue safeguarding our freedom so that the next generations may live with values and aspirations which our countries fought so hard to uphold.

Mr. Max Weissler, an Israeli citizen, was also present during the memorial ceremony as a Korean War veteran.  It will be recalled that he is among Jews who escaped to Manila to avoid the scourge of the holocaust in Europe.  Notably, he also joined the men and women of the US Army who fought in the Korean War.

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