Family Law and Litigation Expert Atty. Melencio “Mel” Sta. Maria, Jr. shared his legal expertise with Embassy personnel through a lecture on 6 January 2017 at the Philippine Embassy.  Atty. Sta. Maria shed light on civil issues, property relations, marriage, annulment and divorce and entertained questions and clarifications from Embassy officials and staff regarding issues important to the Embassy’s Filipino consular clients.

Atty. Sta. Maria, Jr. is a lawyer, professor, journalist and broadcaster.  His academic degrees include a Master of Laws in Banking Law from Boston University; a Bachelor of Laws, with honors and Bachelor of Science in Biology, both from the Ateneo de Manila University.

The lecture was part of the Embassy’s UPLIFT (Understanding the Philippines through Lectures and Interviews with Filipinos in Town) Series, a Continuing Education and Lecture Series that provides Embassy personnel and the Filipino community with updates on PH-related issues. This is done via invitation to Filipino officials and various experts visiting Berlin to share their knowledge with Embassy officers, staff and the community. END

In recognition of the selfless work that they do for the Philippines, four nominees from Germany have been awarded with the Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas.

Ms. Sabine Korth (Kaanib ng Bayan), Ms. Sabine Weiss (Kaanib ng Bayan), Reunion e.V. Cloppenburg (Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino) and Mr. Rodrigo Maristela (Banaag) were among the 23 awardees who were selected out of a total of 103 nominations from 22 countries and 33 Philippine Embassies and Consulates.

The Kaanib ng Bayan Award is conferred on individuals or organizations for their exceptional or significant contribution to Philippine reconstruction, progress and development, or those who have significantly benefited a sector or community in the Philippines, or advanced the cause of overseas Filipino communities.

The Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino Award which is conferred on Filipino associations or individuals for their exceptional or significant contribution to reconstruction, progress and development in the Philippines.

The Banaag Award which is conferred on Filipino individuals or associations for their contributions that have significantly benefited a sector or advanced the cause of overseas Filipino communities.

The nominees underwent three stages of evaluation. The first stage was the evaluation and endorsement by an Awards Committee convened by the Embassies and Consulates. Those endorsed were then evaluated by a seven-member Technical Committee composed of representatives from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Health, Department of Science and Technology, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, De La Salle University and Kabalikat ng Migranteng Pilipino, Inc.

Nominees whose ratings met the cut-off requirement were further screened by an Executive Committee headed by the CFO and with members from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the religious sector, the private sector and the media.

German Parliamentarian Sabine Weiss is member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.  She has helped Filipinas in distress in Germany and founded the non-profit organization Pangasinan e.V. (1992) which contributed to the community development of the province for 24 years now.

German nurse Sabine Korth set up Mabuhay St. Francis of Assisi Priority Health Program in Samar in February 2007 to promote health care among the poor in northern Samar.  Her organization has done numerous feeding programs, medical and dental missions.  She spends most of the year in Bugko where her mission is based.

Rodrigo Maristela is a German citizen (former Filipino) who has used his talents to promote the Philippines in the region of Essen, North Rhine Westphalia.   As a FilCom leader and director of cultural events, he has organized fund-raisers with proceeds directed in aiding projects in the Philippines.   Mr Maristela has been elected as one of the Board of Directors of European Network of Filipino Diaspora-European Union (ENFID-EU) in September 2016 in Prague, Czech Republic during the organization´s Annual General Assembly which was attended by about 100 Filipino Community leaders from 17 European-member countries.  He is also an Honorary Board Member of ENFID-Germany and continues to serve ALA EH organization in his second term as President.

Reunion e.V.  was founded by a Filipina nurse with German members from Cloppenburg.  The organization has done community development projects for 25 years in the Philippines and later on initiated projects which promote cultural integration in the Cloppendburg region, bringing Germans and other foreigners together for better understanding.

They will receive their awards from President Rodrigo Duterte during the Awarding Ceremony scheduled on 19 December 2016 at the Malacañang Palace.  END