News, 15.5.2023

Farewell Cedric! Beloved Finland UN colleague is retiring after three decades of excellent service

Cedric Tan-Tiongco, Chauffeur and Office Service Attendant is retired after 30 years of service at the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations.

Cedric started his career at our Mission in 1993 and has since worked with seven different Finnish Ambassadors to the UN. During his 30-year-long career, he has met many notable ministers, government officials, and Ambassadors as well as Presidents Tarja Halonen and Sauli Niinistö. He sat down for a farewell interview with us.

What are some memorable moments from your career?

“Well, every day is an adventure and every year the high-level week is very exciting. However, Finland’s EU presidency in 1999 was an especially memorable time. It was a busy time at the Mission. My colleague and I had to build a whole conference room in order to have extra space for people to work on. The schedule and budget were tight so we decided to build the room ourselves.

Another memorable moment is being gifted a Finnish Jopo bicycle after working at the Permanent Mission of Finland for 20 years. They shipped the Jopo all the way from Finland to New York. I later installed some gears into the Jopo and in 2021, I cycled from Manhattan to the Embassy of Finland in Washington D.C. and beyond. I got some encouragement from no other than Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö. He told my boss at the time to make sure that I have everything I need for the cycling trip and wished me good luck."

How has the mission changed over the years?

“The mission changes a bit with every Ambassador. One thing that has also changed a lot is the technology. When I first started we had pagers, and there were still typewriters at the office. I still remember when I got my first cell phone. It was obviously a Nokia.”

Have you picked up on any Finnish?

“Only the bad words. It is a difficult language! I have been lucky to visit Finland a couple of times though and really enjoyed it."

What message would you like to send to your past colleagues?

“I would like to express my gratitude to the Finnish mission and Consulate General of Finland in New York Consulate and to the Foreign Ministry as well for giving me an opportunity to serve them. I am thankful for my colleagues present and past. I will treasure this for the rest of my life”