A vin d'honneur is one of two official receptions hosted by the

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

at Malacañan Palace on New Year's Day and Independence Day. The custom derives from the New Year's Day receptions hosted by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Governors-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

that were ultimately derived from the receptions held by the British Sovereign. The ceremony was continued by

Manuel Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, (; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his d ...

and his successors who held it in the afternoons, and it was termed "at home day" or "open house" in reference to the fact that the President and his consort opened the Palace to visitors from different sectors of society. The modern ceremony was reinstated and received its present name in 1987 under

Corazón Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People ...

. It is now held on the morning of a convenient date immediately following New Year's Day, and has since evolved from a generally social custom into a diplomatic function. The iconic highlight of the ceremony is the toast between the President and the

Papal Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...

who, despite the country having no official religion, retains his position as Dean of the

Diplomatic Corps The diplomatic corps (french: corps diplomatique) is the collective body of foreign diplomats accredited to a particular country or body. The diplomatic corps may, in certain contexts, refer to the collection of accredited heads of mission ( ...

due to Spanish influence on Filipino culture. The name ''vin d'honneur'' means "wine of honour" in French.

References

Ceremonies in the Philippines Malacañang Palace {{observance-stub