
Guests queue to experience Philippine food and drinks which included Lumpiang Sariwa, Beef Lumpia, Chicken Adobo, Beef Tapa, Pancit Palabok, Cassava Cake, Halo-halo, Mango juice, Coconut water, Mango rhum and Calamansi liquer.
Berlin, 6 June 2016. Ambassador Melita Sta. Maria-Thomeczek led officers and staff of the Philippine Embassy Berlin in celebrating the 118th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence at the Palaisaal of the renowned Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin.
Philippine food and drinks highlighted the reception with the event’s caterer, Pan Restaurant, offering a wide selection of popular Filipino dishes — Lumpiang Sariwa, Beef Lumpia, Chicken Adobo, Beef Tapa, Pancit Palabok, Cassava Cake and Halo-halo. Guests were also served mango juice, coconut water, mango rhum and calamansi liquer.

Ambassador Melita S. Sta. Maria-Thomeczek with Ambassador Sabine Sparwasser, German Federal Foreign Office Director General for Africa, Asia, Latin America, Near and Middle East toast to better Philippine-German bilateral relations before 300 guests at the Palaissaal, Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin
Delivering her remarks in German, Ambassador Sta. Maria-Thomeczek recognized Germany as an ally and strong partner in building a stable future for the Philippines. She expressed renewed commitment to an enduring friendship and partnership with Germany, “We are proud that for 62 years now, the Philippines and Germany have enjoyed strong relations in the political, economic and cultural spheres. And we believe it is growing stronger, as we share common interests and common democratic values.”
Ambassador Sparwasser, in her response, also noted the continuing and growing vigor of Philippine-German bilateral relations and conveyed that Germany and the Philippines have shared democratic values and that they look forward to working with the Philippines under the incoming administration.
This year´s celebration with the theme, “Kalayaan 2016: Pagkakaisa, Pag-aambagan, Pagsulong” (Freedom 2016: Uniting, Contributing and Moving Forward), drew in representatives from the diplomatic corps, the German federal government, and the business community. High-ranking officials, led by Ambassador Sabine Sparwasser, Director-General for Africa, Asia, Latin America, Near and Middle East of the German Federal Foreign Office (FFO), and Member of Parliament Ms. Iris Eberl (CDU/CSU) also graced the event. END

Ambassador Melita S. Sta. Maria-Thomeczek with the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Nikola Eterović and Ambassador Sabine Sparwasser of the FFO

(1)Guests were treated to a taste of the Philippine islands as they were welcomed with coconut water and sent off with Philippine souvenirs courtesy of the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) Frankfurt, Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) Berlin and the Philippine Department of Agriculture Brussels. (2) Videos from the PDOT Frankfurt´s “It´s More Fun” campaign was continuously shown during the reception