13 June 2016.  Philippine Honorary Consul for Saxony-Anhalt, Mr. Hartmut Fromm and Dr. Inge Groth-Fromm in close cooperation with the Philippine Embassy in Berlin celebrated the 118th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence with a concert featuring Filipino concert pianist Dr. Raul Sunico at the Piano Salon of the Coselpalais in Dresden.  The concert was also supported by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). Ambassador Melita S. Sta. Maria-Thomeczek ... Read more

13 June 2016.  In celebration of the Philippine Independence Day, simultaneous flag ceremonies took place across Germany at the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, the Philippine Consulate General in Essen and the Philippine Consulate in Dresden.  Due to the rainy weather, no actual raising of the flag was done in the 3 capitals; instead, the Filipino Community stood at attention before the flag inside the premises of the Embassy and Consulates and sang the Philippine National Anthem. Representatives ... Read more

12 June 2016.  On the occasion of the 118th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence, a “Santa Misa Para sa Bayan” (Holy Mass for the Country) was offered in Berlin and Stuttgart. In Berlin, the Philippine Embassy cooperated with the Filipino Catholic Community of Berlin in having a special program to mark the anniversary.  The Santa Misa held at the Heilig-Geist-Kirche in Bayernallee started with attendees singing “Lupang Hinirang” (Chosen Land), the Philippine National ... Read more

English Translation Borrowed Plumes: Melita S. Sta. Maria-Thomeczek For Right instead of Might in the South China Sea Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 10.06.16, Page 8 The Philippines did not take the decision to go to arbitration lightly. The decision was taken after numerous dialogues with China at the bilateral and multilateral level did not yield fruitful results. China’s massive land-reclamation and island construction activities have led to the destruction of the marine environment and ... Read more