PH EMBASSY JOINS FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN BERLIN IN CELEBRATING THE SINULOG FESTIVAL

Berlin, 15 January 2023 –  The Philippine Community in Berlin celebrated Cebu’s annual Sinulog festival at the Parish of the Holy Spirit in Bayernallee – the first since the outbreak of COVID-19.  Fr. Simon Boiser SVD was the Mass Presider, with Fr. Jun De Ocampo, SVD and Fr. Lieber Waldemar as concelebrants. 

Fr. Boiser, in his homily, highlighted the significance and role  of the image of the Sto. Nino in our history as a people  and as Christians. He  emphasized as well the call to emulate the  “childlike” attitude of the Nino, which is characterized by humility, joy  and simplicity.  Several groups under the Chaplaincy performed traditional Sinulog dances, accompanied by loud cheers of “Pit Senyor!”  The Sinulog was followed by the traditional Filipino Fiesta shared by all members of the congregation. 

The Embassy’s  Chargé d’Affaires, a.i.  Lillibeth V. Pono, in  her remarks, took the opportunity to bid the Filipino community in Berlin goodbye,  as she leaves for her new assignment as Ambassador to the State of Qatar. She looked back to five years ago, when she said her first “hellos” to the community, also  during the Sinulog celebration.   She thanked the community  for their support of and strong partnership with the Embassy,  as she was  presented with a certificate of appreciation, thanking her for her years of service to the community and for furthering Filipino interests in Germany.

Berlin, 29 December 2022 –  Philippine Embassy in Berlin’s Chargé d’Affaires,a.i. Ms.  Lillibeth V. Pono, led the Embassy in a wreath-offering ceremony to commemorate the 126^th anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal and to celebrate his life and legacy.

Minister Mary Luck S. Hicarte read the Rizal Day message of Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo. During the offering of the wreath, Ms. Marjorie Hahnelt read “Mein Leztzes Lebewohl” (Jose Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios in German). To close the short ceremony, Chargé d’affaires Lillibeth Pono delivered her message with emphasis on treasuring the memory of Rizal and discovering his message and challenge to each individual.

Rizal was an expatriate in the German capital from November 1886 to May 1887 and referred to Germany as his “scientific mother country.” It was in the German Capital of Berlin, that Rizal’s most pivotal literary work, Noli Me Tangere, first came off the press, eventually paving the way for Filipinos’ pursuit of independence from Spain.

The intimate event was joined by the Knights of Rizal and Ladies for Rizal Berlin-area leaders Mr. & Mrs. Gerhardt and Lulu Müller. (END)

The Philippines’ Masungi Georeserve Project was conferred the Inspire Award during the 2022 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) Action Awards held in Bonn, Germany on Sept. 27. The Action Awards recognized Masungi’s efforts in transforming watersheds to fight deforestation through geotourism. It also commended Masungi for its public engagement and creative storytelling, as well as the dedication of its activists, rangers and environmental defenders.

In accepting the award, Masungi trustee Billie Dumaliang thanked the UN and the UN SDG Action Campaign for the honor and recognition of the work of Masungi rangers and team, as well as their allies, partners, and the entire community who have helped the project endure.

Aside from Masungi, the Philippines also had another finalist in the UN Action Awards’ 2022 edition. Former Mayor Bernard Faustino Dy of Cauayan, Isabela was among three finalist in the Changemaker category, for his work in transforming his town to a smart city which was one of the pioneers in using UN ESCAP’s National Expert SDG Tool for Energy Planning (NEXSTEP) methodology to develop a Sustainable Energy Transition Roadmap.

The UN SDG Action Awards are a signature program of the UN SDG Action Campaign and since 2018, the Awards have been identifying and celebrating changemakers across the world who have been re-thinking ways to drive progress towards the 2030 Agenda. For this year, the Awards received 3,000 applications from 150 countries, from which the panel of judges selected some of the most impactful SDG initiatives of 2022. Among the judges for this year is Ms. Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Convenor of the Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines.

Other winners in the Awards were Ecuador’s SUPvivors SAY NO MORE for the Mobilize Category, Cyrus’ Cyprusinno for the Connect Category and India’s Ms. Srishti Bakshi for the Changemaker Category.