Meet Ambassador Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino

Ni Oggie Medina

I was recently invited at the 69th Malaysian National Day Celebration at Makati Shangri-La hotel and I was fortunate to meet lots of diplomats, including the Malaysian ambassador.

Ambassador Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino is a seasoned diplomat who currently serves as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Malaysia to the Republic of the Philippines.

He has been serving in the Malaysian government and the Malaysian Foreign Service for 22 years.

His academic credentials include Bachelor of Management (Economy) from the University Science Malaysia and Diploma of Public Administration from the National Institute of Public Administration.

Before his posting to Manila, he served as Ambassador of Malaysia to Italy. He served as the primary envoy to Rome, where he was also concurrently accredited as the non-resident ambassador to the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of San Marino.

He had also served in High Commission of Malaysia, London, United Kingdom and High Commission of Malaysia, Lagos, Nigeria.

As the head of the Embassy of Malaysia in Manila, Ambassador Castelino has actively focused on strengthening bilateral economic ties and supporting local peace processes. He has identified and prioritized several growth industries for cross-border cooperation, particularly the halal economy, renewable energy, infrastructure development, digital technology, and the food and beverage sector.

He actively re-engages and reaffirms Malaysia’s continued support for the Philippine government’s peace and development initiatives in the Bangsamoro region (BARMM).