BERLIN PE INDEPENDENCE DAY RECEPTION FOLLOWS THE FOOTSTEPS OF DR. JOSE RIZAL AS THE PHILIPPINES MOVES TOWARD A BROAD AND PERMANENT CHANGE

Berlin, 10 June 2014. The Philippines recently celebrated the 116th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence through an evening of “Dinner and Dance” at the Hotel Maritim Berlin. The Embassy focused this year’s celebrations on the Filipino heroes that inspired and fought for the formation of a strong and independent republic, foremost among them Dr. Jose Rizal.

In her evocative remarks, Ambassador Maria Cleofe R. Natividad, recounted the exploits of Dr. Jose Rizal in Heidelberg and Berlin, where he trained in ophthalmology and completed Noli Mi Tangere. While in Berlin, Rizal devoted much attention to German scholarship on Filipino ethnography, which he found to be scientific, objective and non-racist. Ambassador Natividad remarked that “if ‘nation’ were an ‘imagined community’, Rizal was the first to imagine the Philippines as a national community. This is why, a scholar-diplomat, Leon Maria Guerrero, at one point also the first Philippine Ambassador to Germany, called Rizal as the First Filipino… Berlin is where it began for Rizal. Rizal’s aspirations for equal opportunity, better education, inclusiveness, and good governance continue to resonate today, more than a hundred years later.”

These same aspirations continue to guide Philippine foreign policy and imbue the shared values of the Philippine-German partnership. Ambassador Natividad noted that Dr. Rizal had this to say about Germany of his “scientific mother country”: “I always think of Germany…I always talk of German loyalty and integrity. When I hear German spoken, I am glad, as if it were my mother tongue… I will dedicate my last farewell to Germany. I owe Germany my best remembrances.”

This sense of friendship and loyalty was best highlighted by the Federal Foreign Office’s Ambasador Peter Prügel during his toast remarks, who noted that of the 176 million Euros donated in response to Typhoon Haiyan, 144 million Euros came from the German public. Ambassador Prügel also lauded the work of Ambassador Natividad, under whose guidance Philippine-German relations have been reawakened through an exchange of high-level visits, including Vice President Binay’s visit to Germany in 2013 and the reciprocal visits of Foreign Ministers. Two-way trade is at an all time high and both the Philippines and Germany have institutionalized a regular political consultations mechanism, regular defense and security consultations as well as cooperation frameworks in the field of taxation, social security, and labor. For his part, Dr. Thomas Gambke, the Chair of the ASEAN Parliamentary Group of the German Bundestag, echoed this sentiment and lauded the joint cooperation that has been pursued in promoting sustainable development such as in renewable energy, environmental management, and biodiversity conservation.

The guests lauded the unique approach to this normally staid diplomatic tradition, which created a relaxed environment for networking and engagement. Guests were treated to a unique glimpse of Filipino music and dance through the Rigodon de Honor, a dance that evolved during the Spanish period and which is often performed at galas, balls and other formal occasions. The evening’s Rigodon de Honor was by led by Ambassador Natividad alongside her embassy team.

This was then followed by an evening of music highlighted by the Space Shuffle Band, a Filipino-German jazz quintet. To stimulate conversations on Filipino history, tables were named after Filipino heroes and included accompanying biographies. Organizations such as the German Chamber of Commerce and embassies of Latin America promised to emulate the set-up for future functions.