Associate Professor Naraporn Chano-cha, wife of the Prime Minister
of the Kingdom of Thailand, His Excellency General Prayut Chan-o-cha,
visited the University of Santo Tomas on November 13, 2017 together with Mrs. Monthip Upatising, wife of the Ambassador of Thailand to the Philippines, His Excellency Thanatip Upatising.
Prior to the arrival of the Thai PM and his wife in the Philippines for the ASEAN summit, the Royal Thai Embassy in the Philippines already made arrangements with the University through the Office of Public Affairs about the visit to the UST Museum and the UST Chapel after the courtesy call on UST Rector Very Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, OP. In her visit to the University, Madame Chan-o-cha was accompanied by her official security officer and other members of her official entourage together with Mrs.
Upatising and the members of the staff of the Royal Thai Embassy in the Philippines.
During the courtesy call upon the UST Rector, Very Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., held at the Rector’s Office, Madame Chan-o-cha was joined by the UST Secretary General Rev. Fr. Jesús M. Miranda, Jr., O.P., Office of Public Affairs Director Giovanna V. Fontanilla, and Mrs. Upatising. An exchange of tokens took place.
At the UST Museum, Madame Chan-ocha and her group were met by UST Museum Director, Rev. Fr. Isidro C. Abaňo, OP. Ms. Maita Oebanda, the UST Museum Collection Management and Documentation Assistant
assisted during the tour. At the visit to the UST Chapel, Fr.
Miranda discussed its history to Mde. Chano-chan and answered her queries.
The tall and statuesque diplomat’s spouse taught English at the Chulalongkorn University where she was an Associate Professor and Deputy Director for Administration and Planning. She obtained
her Teacher Education Certificate from Leeds University, United Kingdom and her Master of Arts degree in Applied Linguistics at the Mahidol University, Thailand. She also completed a course at the National
Defense College in 2003 and the Justice Executives Training Course in 2010. Rev. Fr. Miranda welcomes Assoc. Prof. Chan-ocha, assisted by Assoc. Prof. Fontanilla.
UST Museum Director Rev. Fr. Isidro Abaño presents a Thai headdress gifted to then Rector Very Rev. Fr. Rolando V. de la Rosa in 1991 by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand to Assoc. Prof. Chan-o-cha and members of her delegation during the tour. The latter is an association under the Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana.
