The latest addition to the diplomatic core at the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) Dubai, Vice Consul Elizabeth Picar Ramos, calls herself “a woman for others,” a phrase familiar to Ateneo alumni. Ramos is not an Atenean though. In fact, she is a very proud graduate of Miriam College, one of the Philippines’ exclusive all-girls Catholic school.
But though she in an exclusive school, Ramos never considered herself “kolehiyalang burges” as many of her school activities dedicated to community service that taught her servanthood, which she mastered further when she was mentored by a Jesuit priest from Ateneo de Manila.
“I had the privilege to be mentored by a Jesuit priest from Ateneo who taught me to be a “woman for others.” Since then I have always wanted to do community work or to find ways to assist others in any way I can. And I guess working in government provides the opportunity to do just that,” said Ramos in her e-interview with The Filipino Times.
After finishing her Master’s Degree in Technology Management from the University of the Philippines, Diliman 2002, Ramos took the foreign service exams and immediately joined the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
There she handled various responsibilities. She admitted that although there were occasions when she was tempted to follow a different career path, she never had that drive to leave government service.
“I would consider transferring to non-government, multilateral organizations but it never came to fruition because at the end of the day, I would always choose to stay,” she said.
Between 2007 and 2012, Ramos served as Consular, Cultural, and Economic Officer at the Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona, Spain and later moved to the Philippine Embassy in Madrid, where she stayed until 2013.
When she was posted back to the Philippines, she was detailed at the Office of the President – National Organizing Council. She worked as a special assistant when the Philippines hosted the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in 2015.
Prior to assuming her post in PCG Dubai on December 17, 2016, Ramos first worked with the Office of the Undersecretary for International Economics (OUIER), and handled the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation portfolio which includes providing the substantive support for PRRD’s participation in APEC in Peru.
As she begins her new job as a Vice Consul, Ramos said, “I wish to contribute to the economic growth of the Philippines by promoting trade between the Philippines and the country where I will be assigned in. I wish to contribute in encouraging investors to locate in the Philippines to create jobs and opportunities for Filipinos.”
And for the Filipinos in Dubai and Northern Emirates, her dream is, “to serve, and to serve to the best of my ability”.
