Viewing category: Tourism

Berlin PE hosts Vin d’ Honneur to commemorate 115th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence

June 15, 2013

Philippine Embassy in Berlin hosts Vin d’ Honneur to commemorate the 115th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence

The Philippine Embassy in Berlin hosted a Vin d’ Honneur on the occasion of the 115th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence at the Deutsche Bank in Berlin on June 11. The Atrium of the Deutsche Bank was the venue of choice, as the bank has become of one of the leading transaction banks in the Philippines, with significant investments in technology, through the establishments of the Deutsche Knowledge Services, a center for finance, global business services, and information technology. Deutsche Bank official Mr. Bernhard Deppisch gave welcome remarks and spoke of the robust economic outlook for the Philippines.

The event, celebrated with the theme “Kalayaan 2013: Ambagan tungo sa Malawakang Kaunlaran” (Freedom 2013: Contributing Towards Inclusive Development), drew in representatives from the diplomatic corps, the German federal government, the business community, and leaders of Filipino organizations based in Germany. High ranking officials, led by Ambassador Clemens von Goetze, Director-General for Asia of the German Federal Foreign Office (FFO) also graced the event.

Ambassador Maria Cleofe R. Natividad opened the event with her National Day message. The Ambassador, speaking in both German and English, reflected on the year’s theme and said, the Philippine Embassy is “fully in line with the President’s Social Covenant with the people… (the Philippine Embassy) is a steadfast partner in reinforcing and reinvigorating our diplomatic relations with Germany – raising it from the stupor of the previous decade and pushing it to even greater heights in strategic sectors.” Noting the importance of relations with Germany, the Ambassador said: “Germany, an innovation, research, and education world leader, is a strategic partner for the Philippines as it pursues inclusive growth through investments in our human capital.”

The Ambassador called on Germany, as well as the Overseas Filipinos present in Germany, to continue to expand investment and to encourage entrepreneurship and human capital development in the Philippines. As the Philippines and Germany look towards the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the Philippines and Germany are exploring new avenues of cooperation in developing a maritime strategic alliance and exporting aspects of Germany’s vocational education system to the Philippines.

The celebration was capped with Filipino cultural presentations from Kontragapi and home-grown Embassy talents Mylah Rubio and husband Jose Mari. The cultural numbers were received with much applause from the enthusiastic audience. (END)

VP Binay Celebrates 115th Anniversary of Philippine Independence Day in Frankfurt

June 10, 2013

VP Binay Celebrates 115th Anniversary of Philippine Independence Day
with Filipino community in Frankfurt

09 June 2013, Frankfurt – Presidential Adviser for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), Vice President Binay ended his week-long working visit to Germany by joining the Filipino Community in Frankfurt in celebrating the mass at St. Martin Church in Dietzenbach and attending the commemoration of the 115th Anniversary of the Philippine Independence with the Filipinos in Frankfurt and surrounding towns. The event was organized by the Philippine Embassy, led by H.E. Ambassador Cleofe R. Natividad, in cooperation with Filipino community leaders in Frankfurt. The Mayor of Dietzenbach, Jürgen Rogg, also attended the mass and graced the Independence Day celebration.

An estimated one thousand Filipinos braved the rain to attend the Independence Day celebration held in the open air courtyard of St. Martin Church. As if by an act of God, the sun suddenly shone upon arrival of the Vice President. Celebrations kicked off with a warm welcome by Filipinos and solemn celebration of holy mass concelebrated by four (4) German and Filipino priests.

To bring the government closer to the Filipinos in Frankfurt, H.E. Ambassador Maria Cleofe R. Natividad read the message of H.E. President Benigno Aquino III while Honorary Consul General Gerhard Zeidler read the message of Hon. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario. Ambassador Natividad thereafter reassured the Filipino community that the government was exerting efforts to address the gap left by the closing of the Philippine consulate in Frankfurt in 2012.

The centerpiece of the celebration was the message of Hon. Vice President Jejomar Binay during which he recalled key events that led to the Philippine independence to encourage Filipinos to value the freedom that the nation enjoy even while overseas. To cap his remarks, the Vice President briefed the Filipinos on the outcome of his talks with the officials of the German Federal Government particularly with respect to closer cooperation on the training of seafarers and the new window of opportunity offered by the conclusion of the bilateral Agreement for the deployment of Filipino health professionals to Germany.

On the other hand, in her message to the community, Ambassador Natividad highlighted the theme of this years independence “Ambagan sa Kaunlaran” and cited that the impressive independence day was organized and successfully staged in spite of absence of funds and short span of time. All thanks to the generous spirit of volunteerism of the Filipinos in Hessen, the “Friends of the Embassy”.

VP Binay and the Ambassador ensured that the barrio fiesta spirit prevailed throughout the festivities with both of them sharing in the cultural activities prepared by the Filipino community and the Filipino delicacies set in stalls. VP Binay sang solo excerpts from “Ang Bayan” ko. He also joined Ambassador Natividad in gamely dancing to the Gangnam song, to the delight of the crowd.

Before the conclusion of the program, Mr. Klaus W Hartung, owner of Transwing Gallery presented the Vice President with his latest art book co-authored with Mr. Oliver Quingco II entitled “Revisiting Mabini Art – Its Significance in the Development of Philippine Visual Arts, which featured series of Filipino paintings tracing the Mabini Art development since 1949 and its role in the development of visual arts in the Philippines. (END)

Philippines shines in Berlin’s Asia Pacific Weeks 2013 on “Smart Cities”

June 7, 2013

7 June 2013, Berlin, Germany – The Philippines made a splash in this year’s Asia Pacific Weeks (APW) in Berlin, a premier business forum organized by the Asia Pacific Forum, Berlin Ministry for Economics, Technology, and Research, and the Federal Foreign Office.

Vice President Jejomar C. Binay delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremonies of the APW. The Philippine Embassy in Berlin, led by Ambassador Maria Cleofe R. Natividad, ensured strong Philippine participation in this year’s APW edition.

His key message on responding to the challenges faced by today’s cities was that “the government can never go it alone. Public-Private Partnership, with civil society chipping in, is the new model. Government needs strong partners from the business community and the civic sector, just as business needs the prudential presence of government in many of its endeavors.” Vice President Binay noted that urban sprawl is also posing significant challenges to the delivery of basic services and is exposing the population to significant risks associated with climate change such as flooding.

Vice President Binay also touted the strong gains made by the Philippine economy, with the 7.8% GDP growth in Q1/2013 setting the pace for the Asia Pacific region. Economic growth continues to be city-driven, with 60% of the Philippines’ population living in urban areas.

The Vice President emphasized that the Asia Pacific Weeks provides an innovative venue to rethink urban planning and transform cities into green, mobile, creative, and safe places to live. He also commended the work of the organizers and the Philippine Embassy and thanked Ambassador Natividad for the Embassy’s efforts for his visit come to fruition.
Noting both his role as the Chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and his twenty-year experience as Mayor of Makati, Vice President Binay emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships in sustaining the development of smart cities. Vice President Binay recalled that while he was uniquely afforded the necessary time and space to institute reforms in Makati City, such as the prioritization of basic services and pioneering e-government services, most local government officials operate on a narrower time horizon.

The opening ceremony also included a performance by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Singers, who regaled the assembled audience with a compact set of German and Filipino songs, highlighted by their German rendition of Beethoven’s “Ode an die Fruede” (Ode to Joy), which was met with a rousing applause by the assembled diplomats, business leaders, and policy experts.

During his presentation of “Smart City Makati – Business Portal” on 7 June 2013, Vice President Binay delivered a comprehensive presentation on Makati City’s holistic and people-centered agenda. In particular, Mr. Binay highlighted that smart transportation, involving e-Jeepneys and hybrid buses, and the rise of mixed use developments, which integrate commercial and residential properties, were sustaining Makati’s premier position as a green and connected city.

The Vice President also highlighted that Makati City had adopted an advanced e-government platform, integrating all local offices, which has ensured the speedy and efficient processing of business applications.

The Vice President inaugurated the Aedes Architecture Forum’s Exhibit “Smart City the Next Generation: Focus Southeast Asia”, which brought together nearly fifty (50) veteran and up and coming architects, engineers, and artists with the aim of developing intelligent and sustainable solutions to Southeast Asia’s urban context. Also in attendance was Mr. Felino Palafox, who has launched a collaborative private sector initiative in formulating ten principles for the sustainable development of Metro Manila.

The launch of the exhibit was preceded by a performance of the Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino (Kontra-Gapi) of the University of the Philippines. The Kontra-Gapi, led by Professor Abraham, electrified the crowd with its modern blend of music and dance inspired by traditional Filipino and Southeast Asian ethnic and cultural traditions. – END –

Philippines Breaks Ground in Germany’s Fruit Logistica Trade Fair

February 10, 2013

Philippines Breaks Ground in Germany’s Fruit Logistica Trade FairThe Philippine Embassy in Berlin reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that four globally-established Philippine companies have joined the Fruit Logistica at the MESSE-Berlin, Germany, on February 6-8, 2013.

The Fruit Logistica is considered the leading trade fair for the international fresh fruit trade. Four Philippine fruit exporters – AgriNurture Inc., Flora Integrated Farms Inc, Raspina Tropical Fruits Inc., and Refmad-V Enterprises – took part in the three-day international fair, which attracted more than 58,000 trade visitors from 130 countries and 2,500 exhibitors from across the entire fresh produce value chain.

The Philippine exhibition, dubbed “Food Philippines: A Feast of Flavors” was made possible by the Philippine Department of Agriculture. The main Philippine products featured were carabao-variety mangoes, red lady and solo papayas, Cavendish bananas, organic coconut water, queen pineapple and red-fleshed dragon fruit. Many of these products were seen by European visitors only for the first time at the trade fair, and not surprisingly, they were the subject of much curiosity and attention. All of the Filipino exhibitors expressed confidence that many of their high-quality agricultural products will be making their debut in the European market very soon.

Ms. Jocelyn Tago-Mallari, Vice President for Marketing, Raspina Tropical Fruits, said that their company made the right choice to join the trade fair as it gives them the chance to bring to Europe the fresh tropical fruits that are naturally-grown from the farmlands and pasteurs of Mindanao. Their product line include bananas, papayas and pineapples.

Ms. Flora Abadesco, President of Flora Integrated Farms Inc., expressed confidence that their organic products – notably the Queen Pineapple (Formosa variety) that is grown in the province of Camarines Norte – will be reaching consumers in Italy, Russia and France in the near future. Mr. Inti Jaramillo, Vice President of AgriNurture Inc., said that in keeping up to the goal of his company to further explore other horizons abroad, they are now set to introduce organic coconut water in major eco-shops in the Netherlands.

Ms. Mildred Dacuycuy, who is representing Refmad-V Enterprise, which owns the fist dragon fruit plantation in the Ilocos Norte region of the Philippines, noted that quite a number of distributors were impressed by the distinct appearance and taste of the Saniata dragon fruit.

Ms. Karen Adecer, the Official Representative of Messe Berlin to the Philippines, revealed that the Fruit Logistica organizers “were especially excited that the Philippines had joined the trade fair for the first time.” “Joining trade fairs is a commitment,” according to Ms. Petra Keitz, project coordinator for the Fruit Logistica, “and I hope to see more Philippine exhibitors in the coming years.”

For next year’s Fruit Logistica, efforts are underway to expand the number of participating Philippine exporters, to include companies that are involved in cut flowers, aerial plants and vegetables.

Based on statistics from the Department of Agriculture, assorted Philippine fresh fruit products (e.g, bananas, mangoes, coconut and pineapple) have made its way to various parts of Europe, including Russia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, and the UK. (end)

« Previous Page

The Philippine Embassy in Berlin

Viewing category: Tourism

Berlin PE hosts Vin d’ Honneur to commemorate 115th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence

VP Binay Celebrates 115th Anniversary of Philippine Independence Day in Frankfurt

Philippines shines in Berlin’s Asia Pacific Weeks 2013 on “Smart Cities”

Philippines Breaks Ground in Germany’s Fruit Logistica Trade Fair

CONTACT US

Philippine Migrant Workers Office (MWO)

Recent Stories

Viewing category: Tourism

CONNECT WITH US

CONTACT US

Philippine Migrant Workers Office (MWO)

Recent Stories