18 December 2013 – Philippine Ambassador to Germany Maria Cleofe Natividad was the keynote speaker at the “Search for Asia-Queen Hannover Charity Gala” held in Hannover on November 23.

The charity gala night was organized by Ms. Emma Ocimek to help raise funds in support of projects of Casa Esperanza, a residential care facility that provides temporary shelter for physically-abused women and children throughout the province of Negros Oriental.

In her speech, Ambassador Natividad expressed her deep gratitude and appreciation to “the hand of friendship and generosity” extended by the German government and the German people for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).  The Ambassador informed the mixed crowd of Germans and Filipinos that the German Federal Government provided emergency aid amounting to 6.5 million euros, while the German citizens have also raised 12.9 million euros through the efforts of the Aktionsbündnis Katastrophenhilfe.

The highlight of the evening event was a beauty pageant featuring Filipino contestants from the Northern part of Germany and the Netherlands.  END