Berlin, 26 June 2014. Earlier this month, the Philippines launched an exhibit to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Germany.  The audio-visual exhibit, designed by Mr. Dakila Gonzales from the Philippine Tourism Office in Frankfurt, charted the shared history between Philippines and Germany, which actually originated during Ferdinand Magellan’s “discovery” of the Philippines in 1521.  Magellan’s company not only included German sailors but the expedition was itself financed by Jakob Fugger, a well-known banker from Augsburg.

As the Spanish colonial period took hold, German trading companies began operating in the Philippines in the 1830s and Germans would soon dominate the pharmaceutical industry through such enterprises as Botica Boie and Botica Zobel.  Burgeoning commercial links spurred the German trading states of Bremen and Hamburg to establish consulates in the country.  This strong German presence, which was the second largest expatriate community after the British, led to the creation of the German Reading Club (the forerunner of the current German Club) in 1880.  However, people-to-people interactions were not solely one way.  Dr. Jose Rizal pursued his ophthalmology training at the Charite Hospital in Berlin and he spent considerable time as well in Heidelberg, Wilhemsfeld, Dresden and Leipzig.  Rizal completed Noli Mi Tangere in 1886 and through his benefactor, Maximo Viola, had the first batch of 2,000 copies of his masterpiece published at the Berliner Buchdruckerei-Aktiengesellschaft.

The post-War period would witness the resurgence of Philippine-German relations, initially through the appointment of Dr. Policronio R. de Venecia as Consul General to Hamburg in 1954.  The next year, the Philippines and Germany signed a trade protocol, with President Carlos P. Garcia announcing during his State of the Nation Address that the “trade protocol with Germany includes provisions for the training of Filipino scholars and technicians in German industrial and educational institutions.” At the time, the two way trade volume was estimated at USD 50 million.  Sixty years on, total trade in 2013 reached approximately USD 5.4 billion and the Philippines and Germany are pursuing an ambitious technical and vocational education and training (TVET) program under the new K-12 school system.

Several important official visits have been organized in the post-war period, including the German President and Mrs. Heinrich Lübke’s State Visit in 1963, President Corazon Aquino’s State Visit to Germany in 1989, and reciprocal visits of President Fidel Ramos in 1994 and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in 1996.  Recent years have witnessed a resurgence in high-level interactions, with the visits of Vice President Jejomar Binay to Germany and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Labor Minister Ursula von der Leyen to the Philippines in 2013.

Ambassador Maria Cleofe R. Natividad observed that people-to-people links continue to be a main driver of the Philippine-German partnership.  In the late 1960s, Filipino workers, mostly nurses, began to immigrate to Germany.  Decades later, a new cycle of Filipino nurses are beginning to arrive in Germany through the innovative Triple Win program, which seeks to bridge the undersupply of German healthcare professionals with the glut of qualified Filipino nurses.  On the cultural front, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung is itself celebrating 50 years in the Philippines this year, with Manila being its first office in Asia.  The German Football Federation (DFB) is supporting the development of the grass roots football program in the country while a young set of Filipino-Germans, led by Roland Müller, Stephan Schrock, and Patrick Reichelt, have reinforced the Philippine Azkals national football team.

After the audio-visual exhibit, the Embassy together with the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) also launched the 91-page “Orientation Booklet for Filipinos in Germany.”  The UPAA donated the first batch of the orientation booklets to the Embassy so that newly arrived Filipinos would have practical tips and information in adapting to life in Germany.  An online version of the booklet is available here: http://projects.upaagermany.org/projects-germany-orient-2014.html.  *END

Berlin.  Mr. Hanns Zellner, Mayor of Wilhemsfeld, led a wreath laying ceremony at the Rizal memorial park in Wilhemsfeld on 21 June 2014 to commemorate the 153rd birth celebration of Dr. Jose Rizal. Joining Mayor Zellner were Prof. Dr. Gerhardt Zeidler, Philippine Honorary Consul General in Stuttgart; First Secretary Adrian Cruz of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin; Mr. Werner H. Filsinger, KCR, Chapter Commander of the Knights of Rizal, Wilhelmsfeld-Heidelberg Chapter; and Mr. Karim-Azar Grajo, KCR, Chapter Commander Marquardt-Stuttgart Chapter.

Following the wreath-laying, Mayor Zellner cited ten students from Christian-Morgenstern Grundschule in Wilhemsfeld, who were awarded the Rizal Prize (Rizal-Preise) in recognition of their camaraderie and good behavior. The honorees received certificates and book vouchers from Mayor Zellner.  Another award, the Ullmer Prize, was given to the Mini Handball Department of SC Wilhemsfeld for their efforts to clean and preserve the forests. The award was named after Pastor Karl Ullmer, the Protestant pastor who hosted Dr. Rizal while he stayed in Wilhelmsfeld.

In his speech, Mayor Zellner thanked everyone who took time to be at the wreath laying and awarding event in honor of the memory of Dr. Rizal.  The commemoration of Rizal’s birthday is considered as one of the most anticipated events in Wilhemsfeld that helps to nurture the long-standing bonds of friendship and cultural ties forged by our national hero between the Philippines and Germany.

Fellow Knights of Rizal and Ladies for Rizal of the Wilhelmsfeld-Heidelberg and Marquardt-Stuttgart chapters, as well as the local residents of Wilhemsfeld, were on hand to witness the ceremonial event.  The celebration served to strengthen the deep commitment and close ties between the Germany-based chapters of the Knights of Rizal and the local government of Wilhemsfeld.

The main attraction of the Rizal Park in Wilhemsfeld is the statue of Dr. Rizal, constructed by Prof. Caedo in Manila, which was shipped from the Philippines in 1978.

After the wreath laying ceremonies, guests were invited to an afternoon merienda and festivities at the Katholischer Gemeindesaal Wilhelmsfeld. (END)