President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has appointed veteran diplomat and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for Migration Affairs Eduardo Jose De Vega to lead the Philippines’ diplomatic mission to the Republic of France and the Principality of Monaco.

De Vega confirmed his appointment to DAILY TRIBUNE via text message.

“Malacañang signed it. There are still many processes before I get there,” he said.

De Vega, a lifelong diplomat, served as Ambassador of the Philippines to Mexico, Belgium and Luxembourg, and the European Union.

He also served as the Consul General to Barcelona, Spain from 2008 to 2011. He was also an Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs of the DFA.

De Vega has been instrumental in protecting the welfare of Filipinos overseas, especially in the repatriation of Filipinos who were in the middle of global conflicts such as the Israel-Gaza war,  Ukraine-Russia conflict, threats of Houthi rebels in Filipino seafarers in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The DFA official is married to a fellow diplomat and lawyer, Maria Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega, who is currently the Philippine Ambassador to South Korea since 2021.

Along with De Vega, Marcos also appointed Patrick Chuasoto as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Sweden with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Latvia; and Christopher Montero as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Indonesia.