Filipino youth string orchestra Pundaquit Virtuosi, led by its Artistic Director Alfonso “Coke” Bolipata and conductor Maestro Ruggiero Barbieri, rounded off its first-ever European concert tour with back-to-back concerts in Berlin.

On July 1, the historic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, along the famed Kurfürstendamm Avenue, played host to Pundaquit Virtuosi’s first concert in Berlin. The event was attended by German audiences and members of the Filipino community, as well as a number of Berlin visitors.

Aside from a repertoire of classic pieces, the concert likewise featured classic Filipino love songs and the group’s rendition of Juan Karlos Labajo’s popular song “Buwan”.

In her remarks before the concert, Philippine Ambassador to Germany Theresa Dizon-De Vega expressed hope that “music and the people who bring it to life will touch hearts, encourage greater understanding, and celebrate both the diversity and connection that music engenders throughout the global community.”

The Ambassador called the church a “fitting venue” for the concert as it “symbolizes our collective desire for peace and understanding among all peoples.” The damaged bell tower is the only portion of the structure left of the original church which was destroyed by aerial bombing during World War II. It now serves as a tangible reminder of the destructive nature of war.

The following day, July 2, the group gave an enthralling special performance at the Embassy, attended by guests of various nationalities. Among the guests were Philippine music luminaries composer Jeffrey Ching, Soprano Andion Fernandez-Ching, and guitarist Lester Demetillo

It was a time of fun learning for the group on their last day in Europe, on July 3. They visited historic and cultural sights in the German capital including the Deutsche Staatsoper and the Berlin Wall Memorial while enjoying traditional German pretzels.

Berlin was the last leg of the group’s first-ever European Tour which also brought the group to Brussels, The Vatican, Bergamo, Milan, Paris, Vienna, Frankfurt am Main, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Fatima, and Alentejo.

The Pundaquit Virtuosi is part of a unique community arts program called Cuerdas Cuadros, a program of Casa San Miguel in San Antonio in the northern Philippine province of Zambales, which has been training youth from the local community in classical music and the arts since 1996.

These children come from simple families from San Antonio, with 20 per cent of its student population coming from the local fishing village of San Miguel. Since its inception in 1996 the program has produced dozens of young musicians who have gone on to forge careers in the music field, pursuing degrees in leading conservatories and colleges in the Philippines, as well as participating in local and international seminars, workshops, tours and competitions.

The group has been heard all over the Philippines, as well as in China, Indonesia, and India (Source: Pundaquit Virtuosi bio). END

Pundaquit Virtuosi tour sites in Berlin (photos: R. Estrella)

Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega joined officials of the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt headed by Consul General Evelyn Austria-Garcia and Vice Consul Fatima Muller at the event commemorating the 158^th Birth Anniversary of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal at the Rizal Plaza in Wilhelmsfeld, Germany on 23 June 2019.

The event organized every year by the Knights of Rizal and the local government of Wilhelmsfeld with support from the Ladies for Rizal and the different Filipino Asso

ciations of Wilhelmsfeld was attended by nearly 200 guests who came from different parts of Germany to take part in this annual event.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega, herself a member of the Ladies for Rizal said it was a very emotional moment for her coming to Heidelberg and Wilhelmsfeld for the first time and to witness the deep admiration and respect for Dr. Rizal among the German community and fellow Filipinos.

She said the challenge for every single admirer of Dr. Rizal in the present-day is to keep his legacy alive by reading more about his life and works and by practicing the values of patriotism, love of country, and the desire to learn more about the world that Dr. Rizal championed.

Consul General Austria-Garcia for her part thanked the family of Pastor Ullmer in whose home Rizal stayed during his sojourn in Germany for keeping Rizal’s memory alive. She invited the guests to visit the newly-opened Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt to view the Rizal memorabilia loaned by the Ullmer family and currently on display at the Consulate premises.

For his part, Knights of Rizal Chapter Commander Reinhold Lovenich spoke about Rizal’s pioneering and modern views on education and invited the audience to reflect on his far-reaching vision in this area.

Mayor Christoph Oeldorf, whose town hosts the Rizal Park, and also the home where Rizal stayed spoke of the pride of Wilhelmsfeld in hosting places dedicated to the memory of Dr. Rizal.

After the wreath-laying, Mayor Oeldorf, awarded Certificates and prizes to 12 Wilhelmsfeld school children who won the Rizal Prize for their reflections on Rizal.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega took the occasion to handover books on Dr. Rizal by Dr. Ambeth Ocampo and other authors to the Knights of Rizal, the Wilhelmsfeld Library, and the Ladies for Rizal.

A Cultural Program highlighted by a special message from Senator Loren B. Legarda, who informed the Filipino-Germany Community about the new projects and initiatives between the Philippines and Germany, completed the day’s activities.

Senator Legarda, an advocate of stronger Philippine-German relations, particularly in the areas of education and cultural cooperation, had earlier visited Wilhelmsfeld and Heidelberg to re-trace the steps of our national hero during his stay in Germany. She was guided by Dr. Frizt Hack-Ullmer, great grandson of Pastor Karl Ullmer, Dr. Rizal’s host in Wilhelmsfeld. END

The Philippine Embassy in Berlin marked the 121^st Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence and the 158^th anniversary of National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal’s birth with a traditional diplomatic reception on June 19.

The event held at the Maritim Hotel Berlin was also the culmination of the series of Independence Month events organized by the Embassy. It was graced by no less than Senator Loren Legarda, a strong advocate of enhanced Philippine-German Relations, and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, who was in Berlin to inaugurate the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.

In her speech, Senator Legarda extolled our National Hero’s vision for the nation and his pivotal role in advancing our quest for freedom, adding that “Dr. Rizal’s ideas began the revolution that earned us our freedom, and his integrity and nationalism continue to inspire new generations.” She expressed hope that Filipinos will “continue to be inspired by his values and principles, especially his nationalism, which involves respect for our heritage.”

Labor Secretary Bello, for his part, underscored the valuable contribution of Filipinos overseas to the Philippine economy and the Government’s efforts to respond to their needs, both in the Philippines and abroad.

The Independence Day reception was the first such event for the new Philippine envoy to Germany, Ambassador Maria Theresa Dizon-De Vega. In her remarks, Ambassador Dizon-De Vega underscored that amidst the dynamic engagement between the Philippines and Germany in recent years, the core of the relations finds strength in the convergence of our mutual commitment to transparency, connectedness, respect for the environment, and people-to-people connections.

The evening was livened up by a special musical performance by former Starlight Express Germany lead performer and Miss Saigon actor Dolan José. The Philippine and German National Anthems were also sang live by Filipino tenor Jose Mari Rubio.

Filipino creativity was on display at the venue with unique Filipino touches, including table runners and pillow cases made of Philippine fabrics, and traditional instruments and decorative items from the southern Philippines.

Guests from the German Government, business community, and media, social media personalities, and members of the Filipino community enjoyed a variety of dishes and desserts, including Philippine favorites lumpia, adobo, and halo-halo, as well as special cocktails made of Don Papa Rum, and fruit-based alcoholic beverages from Destileria Limtuaco.

 

Delighted guests also received gift pouches with coconut water and chocolate, courtesy of Dr. Goerg Coconut Products and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC), whose bio-certified ingredients are all sourced from the Philippines. The company takes pride in being a business that engages in fair trade practices, with a strong corporate social responsibility footprint, especially in Mindanao and the Visayas.

 

Representatives of the PTIC, Department of Tourism-Frankfurt Office, and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office were likewise present during the event. END

Senator Loren Legarda and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III joined Ambassador Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega in paying tribute to Philippine National Hero Dr Jose Rizal on his 158^th birth anniversary in Berlin.

The three officials visited the apartment building located at the corner of Jägerstrasse and Glinkastrasse (Jägerstrasse 71) where Rizal lived and completed his seminal novel, Noli Me Tangere.

The three officials offered bouquets of flower before the marker on the building’s façade commemorating Rizal’s stay. Each of them represented an aspect of Rizal’s polymathic character: Senator Legarda his role as an advocate of Philippine culture, Secretary Bello his having been one of the earliest Overseas Filipinos, and Ambassador De Vega his contribution to diplomacy, by serving as a bridge between Asia and Europe. Also present were other officers and staff of the Embassy.

Rizal lived in Berlin from November 1886 to May 1887 and immersed himself in German life and culture, while at the same time advancing his medical and scientific knowledge and using his pen to advocate for reforms to Spanish rule over the Philippines. (END)