12 June 2012 – The Philippine Embassy in Muscat, led by Ambassador Joselito A. Jimeno, observed the 115th Anniversary of the Declaration of the Philippine Independence Day with a flag-raising ceremony, followed by the reading of the Independence Day messages of the President and the Secretaries of Foreign Affairs and Labor.  The morning program was participated by Embassy officers and staff, POLO/OWWA officers, Filipino community leaders and constituents and Philippine School Oman Board of Trustees and faculty.

The highlight of the morning program is the formal launching of the Pag-IBIG Fund (HDMF) Service Desk in Oman by Pag-IBIG Fund President and CEO, Attorney Darlene Marie Berberabe.

Times of Oman, the biggest newspaper in the Sultanate of Oman, also published a special supplement for the occasion.  The supplement featured articles about the positive developments in the Philippine economy: high GDP growth, credit rating upgrade, and tourism expansion.  It also contained the Independence Day messages of the President, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Ambassador.