Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega joined officials of the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt headed by Consul General Evelyn Austria-Garcia and Vice Consul Fatima Muller at the event commemorating the 158^th Birth Anniversary of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal at the Rizal Plaza in Wilhelmsfeld, Germany on 23 June 2019.

The event organized every year by the Knights of Rizal and the local government of Wilhelmsfeld with support from the Ladies for Rizal and the different Filipino Asso

ciations of Wilhelmsfeld was attended by nearly 200 guests who came from different parts of Germany to take part in this annual event.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega, herself a member of the Ladies for Rizal said it was a very emotional moment for her coming to Heidelberg and Wilhelmsfeld for the first time and to witness the deep admiration and respect for Dr. Rizal among the German community and fellow Filipinos.

She said the challenge for every single admirer of Dr. Rizal in the present-day is to keep his legacy alive by reading more about his life and works and by practicing the values of patriotism, love of country, and the desire to learn more about the world that Dr. Rizal championed.

Consul General Austria-Garcia for her part thanked the family of Pastor Ullmer in whose home Rizal stayed during his sojourn in Germany for keeping Rizal’s memory alive. She invited the guests to visit the newly-opened Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt to view the Rizal memorabilia loaned by the Ullmer family and currently on display at the Consulate premises.

For his part, Knights of Rizal Chapter Commander Reinhold Lovenich spoke about Rizal’s pioneering and modern views on education and invited the audience to reflect on his far-reaching vision in this area.

Mayor Christoph Oeldorf, whose town hosts the Rizal Park, and also the home where Rizal stayed spoke of the pride of Wilhelmsfeld in hosting places dedicated to the memory of Dr. Rizal.

After the wreath-laying, Mayor Oeldorf, awarded Certificates and prizes to 12 Wilhelmsfeld school children who won the Rizal Prize for their reflections on Rizal.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega took the occasion to handover books on Dr. Rizal by Dr. Ambeth Ocampo and other authors to the Knights of Rizal, the Wilhelmsfeld Library, and the Ladies for Rizal.

A Cultural Program highlighted by a special message from Senator Loren B. Legarda, who informed the Filipino-Germany Community about the new projects and initiatives between the Philippines and Germany, completed the day’s activities.

Senator Legarda, an advocate of stronger Philippine-German relations, particularly in the areas of education and cultural cooperation, had earlier visited Wilhelmsfeld and Heidelberg to re-trace the steps of our national hero during his stay in Germany. She was guided by Dr. Frizt Hack-Ullmer, great grandson of Pastor Karl Ullmer, Dr. Rizal’s host in Wilhelmsfeld. END

The Philippine Embassy in Berlin marked the 121^st Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence and the 158^th anniversary of National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal’s birth with a traditional diplomatic reception on June 19.

The event held at the Maritim Hotel Berlin was also the culmination of the series of Independence Month events organized by the Embassy. It was graced by no less than Senator Loren Legarda, a strong advocate of enhanced Philippine-German Relations, and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, who was in Berlin to inaugurate the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.

In her speech, Senator Legarda extolled our National Hero’s vision for the nation and his pivotal role in advancing our quest for freedom, adding that “Dr. Rizal’s ideas began the revolution that earned us our freedom, and his integrity and nationalism continue to inspire new generations.” She expressed hope that Filipinos will “continue to be inspired by his values and principles, especially his nationalism, which involves respect for our heritage.”

Labor Secretary Bello, for his part, underscored the valuable contribution of Filipinos overseas to the Philippine economy and the Government’s efforts to respond to their needs, both in the Philippines and abroad.

The Independence Day reception was the first such event for the new Philippine envoy to Germany, Ambassador Maria Theresa Dizon-De Vega. In her remarks, Ambassador Dizon-De Vega underscored that amidst the dynamic engagement between the Philippines and Germany in recent years, the core of the relations finds strength in the convergence of our mutual commitment to transparency, connectedness, respect for the environment, and people-to-people connections.

The evening was livened up by a special musical performance by former Starlight Express Germany lead performer and Miss Saigon actor Dolan José. The Philippine and German National Anthems were also sang live by Filipino tenor Jose Mari Rubio.

Filipino creativity was on display at the venue with unique Filipino touches, including table runners and pillow cases made of Philippine fabrics, and traditional instruments and decorative items from the southern Philippines.

Guests from the German Government, business community, and media, social media personalities, and members of the Filipino community enjoyed a variety of dishes and desserts, including Philippine favorites lumpia, adobo, and halo-halo, as well as special cocktails made of Don Papa Rum, and fruit-based alcoholic beverages from Destileria Limtuaco.

 

Delighted guests also received gift pouches with coconut water and chocolate, courtesy of Dr. Goerg Coconut Products and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC), whose bio-certified ingredients are all sourced from the Philippines. The company takes pride in being a business that engages in fair trade practices, with a strong corporate social responsibility footprint, especially in Mindanao and the Visayas.

 

Representatives of the PTIC, Department of Tourism-Frankfurt Office, and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office were likewise present during the event. END

Senator Loren Legarda and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III joined Ambassador Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega in paying tribute to Philippine National Hero Dr Jose Rizal on his 158^th birth anniversary in Berlin.

The three officials visited the apartment building located at the corner of Jägerstrasse and Glinkastrasse (Jägerstrasse 71) where Rizal lived and completed his seminal novel, Noli Me Tangere.

The three officials offered bouquets of flower before the marker on the building’s façade commemorating Rizal’s stay. Each of them represented an aspect of Rizal’s polymathic character: Senator Legarda his role as an advocate of Philippine culture, Secretary Bello his having been one of the earliest Overseas Filipinos, and Ambassador De Vega his contribution to diplomacy, by serving as a bridge between Asia and Europe. Also present were other officers and staff of the Embassy.

Rizal lived in Berlin from November 1886 to May 1887 and immersed himself in German life and culture, while at the same time advancing his medical and scientific knowledge and using his pen to advocate for reforms to Spanish rule over the Philippines. (END)

 

Filipino classical guitarist Angelito Agcaoili, now based mainly in Arizona where he teaches music and classical guitar, held a series of performances in Germany in collaboration with German-Peruvian performer Virginia Yep. Trained at renowned institutions the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music and the Real Conservatorio Superior de Musica in Madrid, he continues to promote, perform, and lecture on Philippine music  in the US and Europe and teaches Masterclasses at the UST Conservatory. Philippine Ambassador to Germany Theresa Dizon-De Vega attended his performance at the im Haus am Kleistpark, Berlin on 15 June 2019. END