JEDDAH, 20 March 2004 — Vice Consul Jose V. Jacob, acting head of the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, has confirmed that he will be leaving the Kingdom very soon.
In an emotional speech during the 23rd graduation ceremonies of the International Philippine School in Jeddah (IPSJ) on Wednesday, Jacob bade farewell to the students and the community as a whole, saying that he was being reassigned to a higher post in Hawaii.
He said that while he was sad to leave the community he has learned to live along with well, he also welcome the “relocation and the new challenge” he will be facing in another post.
Jacob said the consulate will be having a new consul general in Pendosina Lomondot, a native of Marawi in the southern Philippines, who has been a vice consul in Jeddah in the early 90s.
Lomondot is expected to arrive in Jeddah next week.
For more than six months, Jacob has been running the consulate since Consul general Kadatuan P. Usop was recalled by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila over a leadership dispute at the IPSJ. It was learned that Usop was being reassigned to Nigeria.
In his speech, Jacob commended the school’s new Board of Trustees chaired by Angelito Lazo, as well as the faculty and staff for carrying on their duties and responsibilities “despite all the difficulties” faced by the school.
He also exhorted the IPSJ’s 80 high school graduates “to be proud of your school.”