Mr. Peter Paul Blanco, accompanied by his 2 year-old daughter Celestina, is photographed in front of the painting of the Signing of the Bangkok Declaration together with ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh, H.E. Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to ASEAN and Chair of the Committee of the Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR), as well as the other members of the CPR.
27 November 2017, Jakarta – Today, Mr. Peter Paul Blanco turned over the painting depicting the Signing of the Bangkok Declaration to ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh and H.E. Elizabeth P. Buensuceso, Chair of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR). The iconic painting was unveiled by Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alan Cayetano and ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh during the Opening Ceremony of the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Post-Ministerial Conferences (AMM/PMCs) on 5 August 2017 in Manila, Philippines. It was then displayed on temporary exhibit at the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs until its turn over today. It will now hang in the ASEAN Gallery, its temporary home in the current Secretariat premises, and will be displayed prominently in the new ASEAN Secretariat Building which is expected to be completed in 2019.
Mr. Peter Paul Blanco, the youngest of the renowned Blanco clan of artists, was commissioned by the CPR to depict on canvas the landmark Signing of the Bangkok Declaration by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN on 8 August 1967 to commemorate ASEAN’s 50th anniversary this year.
The Bangkok Declaration was signed by Secretary of Foreign Affairs Narciso Ramos (Philippines), Foreign Minister Adam Malik (Indonesia), Foreign Minister Dr. Thanat Khoman (Thailand), Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein (Malaysia), and Foreign Minister S. Rajaratnam (Singapore).
The ASEAN Gallery collection also includes works of art by other Filipino artists such as Pacita Abad, Claude Tayag and Manuel Baldemor. The ASEAN Gallery is located at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia and houses a valuable art collection from different countries, from within and beyond the ASEAN region.
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