PHILIPPINE-GERMAN RELATIONS TO “MOVE FORWARD” IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GERMAN ORGANIZATIONS IN MANILA

February 23, 2013

Manila. Philippine Ambassador to Germany Maria Cleofe R. Natividad urged closer cooperation with Philippine-based German organizations in view of the upcoming 60th anniversary of bilateral relations during a Special Forum hosted by the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI), the German Embassy and the German Club in Makati City on 12 February 2013. Present at the event were GPCCI President Dr. Günter Matschuck, President Michael Scheile of the German Club, Christof Wegner of the German Embassy, and other guests.

Ambassador Natividad gave a presentation entitled “Moving Forward: 60 Years and Beyond – Celebrating 60 Years of Philippine-German Diplomatic Relations.” She gave an outline of developments in the political, economic, and cultural spheres of bilateral relations in recent years, and particularly since she presented her credentials to then German President Christian Wulff.

She also highlighted the concrete outcomes of the recent visit of German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle to the Philippines from 7-8 February, including the official statement of Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario and the German Foreign Minister.

“During the bilateral discussions, SFA del Rosario and FM Westerwelle gave their full support and commitment to the many ongoing projects and activities in our fast-moving relations,” she said.

Ambassador Natividad conveyed developments in defense cooperation, including the bilateral defense consultations with the German Ministry of Defense. She also mentioned other cooperation frameworks in the pipeline – the conclusion of negotiations on a Philippine-German Double Taxation Agreement, and the upcoming negotiations on social security agreement with the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. She discussed the possible cooperation in labor which will pave the way for the entry of skilled Filipino nurses into the German labor market. Finally, she informed the audience that inaugural bilateral political consultations will take place for the first time in Manila in 2013.

She also thanked members of the GPCCI and the German Club for their support to the economic diplomacy activities of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, citing individual members who have given testimonials of their successful business transactions during investment roadshows throughout Germany. She wished the GPCCI well in its efforts to be an accredited business chamber.

“I would like to thank GPCCI and its roster of members – particularly Mr. Gerald Frielinghaus, President and CEO of Lufthansa Technik Philippines, and Mr. Claus Sudhoff, President and CEO of CS Garments, Mr Klaus Preschle of Professionals Asia, Mr. Marcel Rüdiger of Datronicsoft Inc, Mr Gerd Hauer of Bosch Communications Center, and Mr. Detlev von Ramm of Continental Temic – for sharing your experience in doing business in the Philippines and your reasons for choosing the Philippines as your investment destination.”

Towards the end of her speech, Ambassador Natividad urged the members and guests to become the Embassy’s partners in celebrating the 60th year of bilateral diplomatic relations participating in key projects such as the publication and launching of a commemorative book on Philippine-German relations, maritime training, and in the pioneering efforts to reform education in the Philippines.

She urged the audience to support President Benigno S. Aquino’s K to 12 program, particularly on the dual training system component. “In 2016, 800,000 school children will enter Grade 11 instead of going directly to university. I am here now to encourage your companies, as part of your corporate social responsibility program, to do a “Porsche” and participate in this pioneering program and offer places for trainee-students in your respective companies. Some of your companies already accept older Filipino students as On the Job Trainees or OJTs. Starting in 2016, you will have a lot more Filipino students ready to learn from you how to work according to German quality standards.”

The event concluded with robust commitments from all sides for closer long-term cooperation. END

FIVE FILIPINO PARTICIPANTS IN THE BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL TALENT CAMPUS

February 12, 2013

Berlin (12 February 2013). Five Filipino filmmakers participated in this year’s Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) Talent Campus. Three-hundred (300) young and upcoming international filmmakers were selected from 4,443 applicants from 137 countries to join the 11^th edition of the Berlinale Talent Campus on the theme “Some Like It Hot – Filmmakers as Entertainer.”

The Filipino filmmakers who made it to the Talent Campus this year are Joenathann Alandy, producer; Paul Sta. Ana, director; Alemberg Ang, producer; Hannah Tabitha Espia, director; and Ian Dean Loreños, screenwriter.

(L to R) Milagros Antonio-Kropp, Cultural Attachée, Ian Dean Loreños, Hannah Espia, Alemberg Ang, Joenathann Alandy, Paul Sta. Ana

The officers and staff of the Philippine Embassy welcomed the Philippine talents at a dinner hosted by the Embassy.

This year, a new initiative was included in the Berlinale Talent Campus program. Selected participants had the opportunity to present their ideas, screenplays, films, and projects in the Berlin House of Representatives and find partners and industry representatives from festival visitors. Filipino talent, Ian Loreños, was chosen to present his project at the Berlin House of Representatives which is the venue for the Berlinale co-production market located across the European Film Market.

Sound design is also highlighted at this year’s Campus through the new Sound Studio hands-on training program. Acclaimed and multiple Oscar-winning editor and sound designer Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now, The English Patient) joined the Campus for a master class on his groundbreaking work in connecting sound and narrative in film. The Sound Studio is a collaboration with Dolby Labs, the University of Film and Television “Konrad Wolf” in Potsdam-Babelsberg, the Fraunhofer/Heinrich-Hertz Institute in Berlin, and the Berlin-based post-production company “The Post Republic.”

(L to R): Ian Loreños, , Joenathann Alandy, Third Secretary & Vice Consul Azela G. Arumpac, Communications Officer Willy V. Damaso, Chargé d´Affaires, a. i. Mardomel Celo D. Melicor

The participants attended the lectures and filmmaking experiences of Dutch-American filmmaker Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct, Black Book), New Zealand’s Jane Campion (Top of the Lake), Britain’s Ken Loach (Spirit of ’45), Austrian Director Ulrich Seidl (Paradise: Hope), leading German actress Nina Hoss (Gold), and French distributor and producer Hengameh Panahi (Celluloid Dream).

The Berlinale Talent Campus is an initiative of the Berlin International Film Festival, a business division of the Cultural Events of the Federal Government funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, in cooperation with MEDIA – training programme of the European Union, Robert Bosch Foundation, Media Board Berlin-Brandenburg and Canon.***

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)

Minister Westerwelle visits the Philippines

February 10, 2013

German Foreign Minister undertakes historic visit to the Philippines

Federal Foreign Minister Dr. Guido Westerwelle will undertake an official visit to the Philippines on February 7-8 at the invitation of Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. del Rosario.

Dr. Westerwelle’s visit is the first by a German Federal Foreign Minister in more than 12 years and reciprocates an official trip to Germany by Secretary del Rosario on December 7-9, 2011.

The last visit of a German Federal Foreign Minister to the Philippines was the one made by Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer who came to the country in July 2000.

Dr. Westerwelle will be accompanied by officials of the German Federal Foreign Office (FFO), a 12-man business delegation and ten journalists from Germany.

During the first day of his visit, Dr. Westerwelle and his official delegation will conduct a bilateral meeting with a Philippine delegation headed by Secretary del Rosario. He will also pay a courtesy call on President Benigno S. Aquino III before he speaks in a discussion on the Mindanao peace process with representatives of the civil society.

On the last day of this trip, Dr. Westerwelle will attend a business roundtable organized by the German Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI). He will also visit a German ship management company before flying out of Manila on his way to Singapore.

Dr. Westerwelle’s visit is a very strong signal of the interest of both the Philippines and Germany to further enhance bilateral relations.

Germany is the Philippines’ second largest export market in the European Union (EU) and the second biggest source of tourists for the Philippines in Europe. Germany is also a leading source of official development assistance (ODA).

Statistics from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) shows that trade between the two countries from January to September 2012 amounted to around $2.6 billion. END

Source: Department of Foreign Affairs, 04 February 2013 | dfa.gov.ph.http://www.gov.ph/2013/02/04/german-foreign-minister-undertakes-historic-visit-to-the-philippines/

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The Philippine Embassy in Berlin

PHILIPPINE-GERMAN RELATIONS TO “MOVE FORWARD” IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GERMAN ORGANIZATIONS IN MANILA

FIVE FILIPINO PARTICIPANTS IN THE BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL TALENT CAMPUS

Philippines Breaks Ground in Germany’s Fruit Logistica Trade Fair

Minister Westerwelle visits the Philippines

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