The Philippines received accolades as one of the leading lights in the Sustainable Financing sector at the Global Sustainable Finance Conference and Awards Ceremony jointly organized by the City of Karlsruhe, Germany and the European Organisation for Sustainable Development (EOSD) from 11-12 July 2019 in Karlsruhe, Germany.

The Sustainable Finance Conference brings together senior members of the international Finance Community to exchange views and share experiences in financing and investments towards developing inclusive, green, and sustainable economies.

The following Philippine institutions and organizations were recognized by the City of Karlsruhe and the EOSD for their outstanding work in promoting Sustainable Financing: The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Landbank of the Philippines (LBP), and ASKI Group of Companies.

DBP and Landbank were two of the major award winners for the Conference. DBP was given the country award for its pioneering programs on Sustainable Financing while Landbank received recognition for Outstanding Sustainable Finance Project.

ASKI was awarded a Certificate of Merit for its Outstanding Business Sustainability Achievement for incorporating sustainability principles in its corporate strategy and business processes.

Senior officials of the aforementioned institutions were on hand to receive their awards from Lord Mayor Frank Mentrup of Karlsruhe and Mr. Arsdhad Rab, CEO of EOSD with Philippine Ambassador to Germany Theresa Dizon-de Vega witnessing the awards conferment.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega speaking on the Philippine experience in Sustainable Financing emphasized that the Philippines endeavors to maintain an enabling environment for sustainable financing to flourish in order to ensure inclusive growth across the country.

The Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) and the Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation, Inc., both from the Philippines, were also represented at the Conference.

During the course of the two-day Conference, speakers from the PH included Mr. Emmanuel G. Herbosa, DBP President and CEO, Mr. Jesus V. Hinlo, Director of Landbank, and Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, ADFIAP Secretary General. Other keynote speakers at the Conference were Karlsruhe Mayor Mentrup, and State Secretary for Finance of the Federal State of Baden-Wurttemberg Dr. Gisela Splett. END

A delegation from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) headed by Undersecretary Martin B. Diño took part in a Dialogue Program for Senior Philippine Officials organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation from 24 to 27 June 2019 in Berlin, Germany. Other delegation members included Assistant Secretary Marjorie Jalosjos, Assistant Secretary Ester Aldana, and Assistant Secretary Francisco Cruz.

 

The delegation was briefed by and met German officials from the Executive Branch, State  government, the Ministry of Interior, and the Parliament. They were assisted and guided throughout the program by Dr. Stefan Jost, Konrad Adenauer Foundation Country Representative in the Philippines. Philippine Embassy officials including Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega and Political Officer Alvin C. Malasig likewise joined the different sessions.

 

The delegation had the opportunity to interact with German resource persons on governance policies, the German government system, and related topics. The group likewise met Member of Parliament Markus Koob, representing the German ASEAN Parliamentary Group and a member of the German Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Relations.

 

As part of the program, the delegation met with officials of the Saxon State Parliament, Saxon State Ministry of the Interior, and local officials of Dresden on governance issues and management, and the interface between the federal and state governments under the German Federal System of government.

 

The Philippine Delegation likewise had the opportunity to provide an explanation of the governance system in the Philippines, the various reforms being instituted, and developments in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao or BARMM. End

The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), one of the country’s leading management and business organizations, with the support of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, conducted a Seminar on Entrepreneurship and Investing in the Philippines on 28 June 2019. The seminar, which was held at the Embassy, presented opportunities for Filipinos and foreigners alike to do business in the country. The seminar was held a day after the Day of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on 27 June.

Attended by over 50 participants, the seminar was opened by Ambassador Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega, who highlighted the exciting economic developments in the Philippines.

Ms. Carol Dominguez, MAP Board Governor and CEO of John Clements International Inc. expanded on these developments in her presentation “Investing in the Philippines,” wherein she talked about the engines driving the country’s growth, among them the BPO industry, Overseas Filipino remittances, tourism, demographics and talent pool, and consumption.

Taking off from the observation that Filipinos are major consumers, Ms Maria Cristina Concepcion, Chair of the Women Empowerment Committee of MAP and CEO of BPO International talked about the country’s Fintech landscape, including the opportunity to broaden Filipinos’ access to financial services and to encourage investments using technology-enabled solutions. She related it to the role of women as financial managers and entrepreneurs.

Lastly, Mr Cesar Averia, Jr., MAP member and President and CEO of EDI-Staffbuilders International, talked about Entrepreneurship, drawing on his personal experiences that shaped him as an entrepreneur. He also touched on his company’s work recruiting and preparing Filipino nurses for deployment to Germany and their inputs on building the 21^st global workforce.

The presentations were followed by a Q&A session where audience members raised questions or offered comments on the energy sector in the Philippines and the EU-GSP+ privileges enjoyed by Philippine exporters, among others.

The seminar concluded with the presentation by Ambassador Dizon-De Vega of a Certificate of Appreciation to the MAP team. Afterwards, the guests took part in a Networking Reception.

The seminar in Berlin is part of a MAP’s roadshow in Germany, which will also see them giving seminars in Frankfurt, Munich, and Stuttgart. The MAP program is in connection with the organization’s 2019 theme of “Shaping a Competitive Future”. END

Nine students of the Master in Development Management and Governance program of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) today visited the Philippine Embassy in Berlin as one of the first stops of their study visit in Germany to learn about development from the lens of a developed country. They were accompanied by Professor Nelson Jose Vincent Querijero and Assistant Professor Rhea Ledesma-Gumasing.

The delegation was greeted by Ambassador Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega, and received a briefing about the Embassy’s work, particularly in advancing Philippine-German development cooperation, from Consul General Lillibeth Pono and Consul Catherine Torres.

The students came from diverse backgrounds, including the public sector, international organizations, civil society, and the academe.

After Berlin, they will visit Hamburg, Bayreuth, and Frankfurt, to meet with other educational institutions, learn from them, and explore prospective partnerships. (END)