19 June 2015 – The Philippine Embassy in Ankara celebrated two great milestones on June 12 namely the 117th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence and the culmination of the year-long 65th Anniversary of the Philippines-Turkey Relations.
A diplomatic reception held at Hilton Hotel in Ankara highlighted the two important events in the presence of more than 500 guests from the Turkish Government, diplomatic missions and international organizations, journalists, international studies scholars, businessmen, members of the various Filipino Communities in Turkey and their respective employers, former Turkish Ambassadors to the Philippines, former and current Consuls General and Honorary Consuls, among others.
A significant presence were several Filipino university students in Turkey, namely Misses Arianne Eustacio, Nina Ubaldo (Middle East Technical University), and Adrielle Espinosa (University of Turkish Aeronautical Association) all from Ankara, Messrs. Mak Bogabong and Royce Pacibe (Gaziantep University) from Gaziantep, Eastern Turkey, who not only lent their energetic presence in the morning festivities, but also shared their dancing skills in the evening programme.
Philippine Ambassador to Turkey Maria Rowena Mendoza Sanchez and Mr. Mario Sanchez, Philippine Consul General Robert O. Ferrer, Jr., Mrs. Judylyn Ferrer, Vice Consul Ericka Anna T. Abad, and Philippine Honorary Consul Tamer Kabalcioglu of Gaziantep welcomed the guests in the formal reception line.
The program began with the singing of the respective National Anthems of the Republic of the Philippines and of the Republic of Turkey. Ambassador Sanchez highlighted in her remarks the progressive developments in the Philippines and the recent bilateral events between the Philippines and Turkey.
The presence of Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz as the guest of honor gave the event more meaning, particularly as he said in his remarks that, “Turkey gives great importance to its relations to the Philippines as a country that stands out as a stable and prosperous nation in its region.”
The speeches were followed by the traditional cutting of the cake wherein Ambassador Sanchez and Minister Yilmaz were joined by the Director General for Bilateral Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Durmuş Ersin Erçin, and ASEAN Ambassadors Mohd Sahrip Othman of Brunei, Wardana of Indonesia, Amran Bin Mohamed Zin of Malaysia, Tharit Charungvat of Thailand, and Chargé d’ Affaires of Singapore Lorling Lee.
The guests were then entertained by a cultural show showcasing various Philippine folkdances with the outstanding performances of selected members of the Filipino Community in Ankara, Filipino Community in Istanbul and Filipino Community in Turkey.
Guests were served a full meal featuring famous Filipino dishes such as adobo, kaldereta, pancit, lumpia, among others.
Mini painting exhibits of two famous Filipino-Turkish visual artists, Mrs. Rowena Ulayan Tuzcouğlu and Mr. Jonal Buenafe, welcomed the guests at the lobby of the Kavaklidere Ballroom of Hilton Hotel.
On the sideline of the event, VRM operators Mr. Jose Aguilera and Mrs. Rowena Neri continued to receive applications for overseas voters registration. END