Berlin, 29 December 2022 –  Philippine Embassy in Berlin’s Chargé d’Affaires,a.i. Ms.  Lillibeth V. Pono, led the Embassy in a wreath-offering ceremony to commemorate the 126^th anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal and to celebrate his life and legacy.

Minister Mary Luck S. Hicarte read the Rizal Day message of Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo. During the offering of the wreath, Ms. Marjorie Hahnelt read “Mein Leztzes Lebewohl” (Jose Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios in German). To close the short ceremony, Chargé d’affaires Lillibeth Pono delivered her message with emphasis on treasuring the memory of Rizal and discovering his message and challenge to each individual.

Rizal was an expatriate in the German capital from November 1886 to May 1887 and referred to Germany as his “scientific mother country.” It was in the German Capital of Berlin, that Rizal’s most pivotal literary work, Noli Me Tangere, first came off the press, eventually paving the way for Filipinos’ pursuit of independence from Spain.

The intimate event was joined by the Knights of Rizal and Ladies for Rizal Berlin-area leaders Mr. & Mrs. Gerhardt and Lulu Müller. (END)

The Philippines’ Masungi Georeserve Project was conferred the Inspire Award during the 2022 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) Action Awards held in Bonn, Germany on Sept. 27. The Action Awards recognized Masungi’s efforts in transforming watersheds to fight deforestation through geotourism. It also commended Masungi for its public engagement and creative storytelling, as well as the dedication of its activists, rangers and environmental defenders.

In accepting the award, Masungi trustee Billie Dumaliang thanked the UN and the UN SDG Action Campaign for the honor and recognition of the work of Masungi rangers and team, as well as their allies, partners, and the entire community who have helped the project endure.

Aside from Masungi, the Philippines also had another finalist in the UN Action Awards’ 2022 edition. Former Mayor Bernard Faustino Dy of Cauayan, Isabela was among three finalist in the Changemaker category, for his work in transforming his town to a smart city which was one of the pioneers in using UN ESCAP’s National Expert SDG Tool for Energy Planning (NEXSTEP) methodology to develop a Sustainable Energy Transition Roadmap.

The UN SDG Action Awards are a signature program of the UN SDG Action Campaign and since 2018, the Awards have been identifying and celebrating changemakers across the world who have been re-thinking ways to drive progress towards the 2030 Agenda. For this year, the Awards received 3,000 applications from 150 countries, from which the panel of judges selected some of the most impactful SDG initiatives of 2022. Among the judges for this year is Ms. Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Convenor of the Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines.

Other winners in the Awards were Ecuador’s SUPvivors SAY NO MORE for the Mobilize Category, Cyrus’ Cyprusinno for the Connect Category and India’s Ms. Srishti Bakshi for the Changemaker Category.

 

11 September 2022, Berlin — The Philippine Embassy in Berlin, Ban Ying e.V. Coordination and Counselling Center and the Philippine Community in Berlin held a discussion on marriage, divorce and separation under German law. 

Entitled Pag-usapan Natin: Family Life in Germany, the information session seeks to strengthen knowledge among the Filipino community, particularly marriage migrants, on German family law.   Ban Ying e.V. is a coordination and specialist advice center on women’s issues and advocates for the rights of migrant women who have experienced violence, exploitation or human trafficking.

The main speaker, family law expert Atty. Maria Wilken, provided information on the rights and obligations of spouses under German law, entitlements during a divorce or legal separation, and the attendant issues of residency permits, child custody and violence against women. Atty. Wilken was assisted by Ban Ying’s Ms. Krisanta Caguioa-Moennich, Linguistic and Cultural Mediator and Dr. Babette Rohner, social worker. 

In her remarks, Charge d’affaires Lillibeth Pono stated that the activity was in line with the third pillar of Philippine Foreign Policy, or the protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare of Filipinos abroad.  It is also aligned with the Embassy’s Gender and Development Program, which seeks to empower Filipino marriage migrants in Germany with accurate information on German law.  Lastly, she reminded the Filipino community that the Embassy stands ready to assist any Filipino in need. 

The information session was a response to an observation that some Filipina marriage migrants in Germany are not aware of German laws governing family life.