The Sinulog Festival in honor of the infant Santo Niño was celebrated by Filipino-German communities across Germany in January. Philippine Ambassador to Germany Melita S. Sta. Maria-Thomeczek was with the Filipino-German community in Bayreuth during their Sinulog celebration on 7 January 2017.  After the Mass, the community held a procession, braving below freezing temperatures to observe a national religious tradition.

Ambassador Sta. Maria-Thomeczek also graced the Sinulog festivities in Hamburg on 15 January which started with the celebration of the Holy Mass led by Fr. Simon Boiser SVD and featured a reenactment of the first celebration of the Sinulog in the Philippines commemorating the Filipinos´ acceptance of Christianity.

In her remarks to the celebrants in Bayreuth and Hamburg, Ambassador Sta.Maria-Thomeczek extolled the Filipinos’ strong sense of Faith which could be seen in the practice of  our  national devotions. She enjoined one and all, in the spirit of our pagka-makatao, makabayan and maka-Diyos not to miss passing on Filipino values to their children and to continuing supporting and praying for one another and for the Philippines.   The good news about the fast economic growth of the Philippines was also shared.

The Filipino Community in Berlin, led by Filipino Chaplain Fr. Jun de Ocampo SVD, commemorated the Feast of Santo Niño on the same day with a concelebrated Mass, blessing of Santo Niño images and Sinulog dances.  Consul General Donna Rodriguez delivered remarks in celebration of the occasion at the Holy Ghost Church in Bayernallee.  She spoke of the community´s unwavering faith and devotion to the Santo Niño and how this had strengthened them as they built new lives for themselves and their families in foreign lands:  “For many years now, the Philippine community in Berlin has celebrated the feast of the Sto. Niño every January. The yearly re-enactment of what we believe to have happened during the very first Sinulog in 1521 serves not only to renew our devotion to the Sto. Niño but to rejuvenate our oneness as a community even as we face both the challenges and opportunities of the year ahead.” END

 

The Club Bol-Anon, e.V. headed by Mrs. Veronica Boensch embarked on another benefit gala which was attended by over 300 guests on 29 October 2016 at the Gemeinschaftshaus Gropiusstadt in Berlin. Proceeds from the annual event will fund programs for street children and orphans in Bohol.

The night-long event was opened by an inspirational message from Ambassador Melita S. Sta. Maria-Thomeczek.  The Filipiniana Dance Group, under the direction of Mrs. Boensch, showcased Philippine dances which included La Jota, Singkil and Tinikling.  Cultural Attaché Mylah Rubio and Jose Mari Rubio serenaded the crowd with a Visayan song “Usahay” and popular Filipino songs “Sa Kabukiran” and “Gaano Kita Kamahal.”

The event was backed by the club´s patrons and supporters who sponsored raffle prizes ranging from cash gifts to a roundtrip ticket to the Philippines.  After a sumptuous dinner, everyone was encouraged to join in the merriment at the dancefloor.

Club Bol-Anon e.V. was founded by Boholanos in Berlin.  The organization aims to propagate Philippine culture and traditions through performances of traditional Filipino dances in Germany.  They train second generation Filipino-German youth and Filipino migrants into learning Philippine folk dances. Proceeds from their performances are used to support worthy projects in Bohol.  END

The Philippines made good on its goal of returning with a bigger delegation and a more eye-catching pavilion to the 68^th Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) held on 19-23 October 2016 at the Frankfurt Exhibition Grounds. Flying the banner ‘Books Philippines: A New Wave of Storytelling,’ PH’s 2016 participation built on last year’s, which was the first time in decades for the country to have a country pavilion at the world’s biggest book fair.

FBF 2016 focused on the theme “What We Share” and featured more than 7,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries.

The National Book Development Board (NBDB) chaired by Ms. Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz led the PH contingent, which included 18 publishers and publishing groups, as follows:

1.       Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP)

2.       Philippine Educational Publishers Association (PEPA)

3.       Adarna House, Inc.

4.       Anvil Publishing, Inc.

5.       Ateneo De Manila University Press

6.       C&E Publishing, Inc.

7.       Chalcot Press

8.       Firetree Press

9.       Commission on the Filipino Language (Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino)

10.    Ilaw ng Tahanan Publishing, Inc.

11.    Lampara Publishing House, Inc.

12.    OMF Literature, Inc.

13.    Philippine Daily Inquirer

14.    Precious Pages Corporation

15.    Rex Book Store, Inc.

16.    University of the Philippines Press

17.    University of Santo Tomas Publishing House

18.    Vibal Group

The 37-member delegation included 13 writers, led by National Artist and Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino chair Virgilio Almario, multi-awarded novelist Jose Dalisay, and bestselling graphic artist Manix Abrera.

The PH pavilion featured selected works produced by the participating publishing houses, ranging from children’s books to young adult literature, literary classics to contemporary fiction, text books to cook books and coffee-table books about Philippine arts and culture.

On October 19, the Philippine Embassy hosted a reception at the PH pavilion showcasing the country’s cuisine. Dusseldorf-based caterer Maite Hontiveros-Dittke prepared the menu, which included lumpiang sariwa, adobo bites, bangus sisig canapes, and hot chocolate made with Malagos cacao from Davao.

Ambassador Melita Sta. Maria-Thomeczek congratulated the contingent in her remarks acknowledged that Philippine books are now well on its way to exploring world markets, thanks to the initiatives of NBDB. Future projects include translation of Philippine books to other languages She also noted that the Philippines participates in several trade fairs Germany, and presence in one promoting the book industry was important in this age of computers and internets.

PH was also one of seven featured countries at The Markets, a conference held alongside the FBF focusing on the publishing industry. Ms. Karina Bolasco of Ateneo University Press, Ms. Ani Almario of Adarna House and the Book Development Association of the Philippines, Mr. Alvin Juban of the Game Developers Association of the Philippines, Ms. Gwenn Galvez of Anvil, and Ms. Andrea Pasion-Flores of Jacaranda Literary Agency insights about the PH publishing industry.

PH’s return to FBF was made possible with the support of Senator Loren Legarda, who helped (NBDB) secure a budget for a professionally executed pavilion. (end)