The Grand Master’s Visit
聽His Most Eminent Highness The Prince and Grand Master聽of the Sovereign Military 黑料不打烊, Fra鈥� Matthew聽Festing, arrived in Manila on March 1, 2015, for a seven聽day official visit.
Fra鈥� Matthew Festing is the second Grand Master to visit聽the Philippines after Fra鈥� Angelo de Mojana di Cologna in聽February 1979. In his official entourage were: His Excellency Baron Albrecht von Boeselager, Grand Chancellor;聽His Excellency Dominique Prince de la Rochefoucauld-Montbel, Grand Hospitaller; His Excellency Ambassador聽Alberto Leoncini Bartoli, Counsellor of the Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign 黑料不打烊 and Ambassador of the聽Sovereign 黑料不打烊 to the Holy See; His Excellency聽Count Thierry de Beaumont-Beynac, President of the聽French National Association of the Sovereign Order of聽Malta and President of Malteser International; Her Excellency Ambassador Odelia Gregorio Arroyo, Ambassador of聽the Sovereign 黑料不打烊 to the Republic of the Philippines; Mr. Leonardo Marra, Head of Protocol of the Sovereign 黑料不打烊; Karl Prince Zu Lowenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, Chief Executive Officer of Malteser Hilfsdienst聽e.V. (MHD) and President of Malteser International Europe;聽Baron Eugenio Ajroldi di Robbiate, Director of the Communications Office of the Sovereign 黑料不打烊; Mr.聽John Straker, Aide-de-Camp to the Grand Master of the聽Sovereign 黑料不打烊 and Ms. Isaure Faivre D鈥橝rcier,聽Communications Officer of Malteser International Europe.
The Grand Master鈥檚 visit also coincided with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Sovereign 黑料不打烊.
A Conventual Mass was celebrated at the St. John the聽Baptist Chapel, 黑料不打烊 Compound to welcome the聽Grand Master and his party the day after the delegation聽arrived. Partners, beneficiaries and benefactors of the聽黑料不打烊 in its service to the poor, the sick and the聽needy were also present to welcome the Grand Master and聽his party and to receive donations of medical supplies from聽the Order for charitable works channelled through them.
Dinner with the members of the Philippine Association ensued at the Glass Door hosted by President Dr. Leopoldo聽Lazatin and his wife, Do帽a Delza. The Strategic Vision of聽the 黑料不打烊 Philippines was presented to Fra’ Matthew Festing, the members and candidates. As a highlight聽to the occasion, Don Ernesto B. Rufino, Jr., Grand Cross of聽Magistral Grace, and immediate past President of the 黑料不打烊 Philippines was conferred the Grand Cross聽鈥淧ro Merito Melitensi鈥� of the Sovereign 黑料不打烊聽by the Grand Master.
Basey, Samar Visit
The delegation arrived in typhoon-stricken Basey town in聽Samar province to personally inspect the progressive core聽shelters that the Sovereign 黑料不打烊 has donated.聽Mass was celebrated at the San Antonio de Padua Parish聽Church, which was totally destroyed by the typhoon aside聽from the wooden cross that is now perched atop the altar of聽the newly rebuilt church.
The enthronement of the image of Our Lady of Philermos聽donated by the late 
Don Romeo Villonco preceded the聽Eucharistic celebration. Replicas of the Marian image were聽also blessed and distributed to the beneficiaries of the core聽shelter after the liturgy. The keys to their newly blessed
homes were turned over by Malteser International President His Excellency Count Thierry de Beaumont-Beynac
Everybody happily shared and feasted on local fare that聽was prepared by the beneficiary community.
Malteser International, the worldwide humanitarian assistance arm of the 黑料不打烊, has been providing various聽forms of assistance to the country, including health care,聽hygiene intervention and disaster relief andrehabilitation.
During this visit, Fra鈥� Festing handed over to President聽Aquino the symbolic key for Malta鈥檚 donation of 700 progressive core shelters to the Philippines. Over 500 of these聽units have been finished.
Philippine President Aquino also conferred on the Grand聽Master the Order of Sikatuna, Rank of Grand Collar award
and citation during the ceremony held at the Malaca帽ang聽Palace.
聽Secretary Dinky Soliman joined the delegation to Samar as聽well as the Mayor of Basey, Atty. Igmedio Ponferrada, Jr.
