10 March 2014 - Hailing Lingaro Sp. z.o.o. as “a very special friend of the Philippines,”  Philippine Ambassador to Poland Patricia Ann V. Paez thanked its officers and employees for “standing by us during a time of crisis,” in her brief remarks during the Polish company’s annual meeting held last March 5 at Centrum  Nauki Kopernik.

Lingaro Sp. z.o.o donated PLN 6,000 (USD 1,980) to the Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH) which has been assisting the typhoon victims in Bantayan Island, Cebu. To date, PAH has built houses for 300 families and will rebuild the houses of 800 families.
           

She also thanked the Polish company, which specializes in knowledge industry applications, for recently opening an office in Makati City “which is a sign of (its) business confidence in our country.”

Ambassador Paez informed the audience of around 1,000 employees that President Benigno S. Aquino III went to Bantayan Island last February 25 and gave its mayor US$ 121,000 for the “Cash-for-Work” program and allotted funding for the repair of 253 damaged school buildings. Under the  “Cash-for-Work” program, residents of Bantayan will be paid wages for “clearing the debris, for repairing damaged shelters and schools, and for planting trees, as well as mangroves.”

The Ambassador also informed them about the project called “Design for Bantayan” which was initiated by two young Polish namely, Mr. Aleksander Prugar and Ms. Helena Czernek. It involves the design and production of souvenir items from fallen coconut trunks and bamboos which the residents can sell to tourists as part of their livelihood.

She also said that the officers of The Filipino Community in Poland has turned over the donations it has raised to PAH for its sponsorship of the visit to Bantayan Island of PAH’s President Ms. Janina Ochojska this month.

Ambassador Paez also shared some good news about the Philippines: “It has been said, and I quote, that behind the dark clouds, there is a silver lining. Although a tragedy befell our country last year, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Philippines managed to grow by 7.2% in 2013.”

The Ambassador requested the officials and employees of Lingaro Sp.z.o.o. to further help the Philippine economy grow by visiting the Philippines as tourists. The DOT video “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” was shown after her remarks.

The Mabuhay Folk Dancers, namely choreographer Mr. Louie Castillo, Mr. Noli Embradora, Ms. Regine Kostrrzewa, and Ms. Kimberly Villanueva performed two folk dances, the “carinosa” and  “tinikling.” Six bottles of VuQo were handed over by the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw to be raffled off to Lingaro’s employees.

Ambassador Paez thanked the officials of Lingaro Sp. z.o.o. namely, Mr. Tomek Rogucki, Mr. Slawek Kaczor, and Mr. Sebastian Stygar, for inviting her to speak during their company’s annual meeting. Mr. T.J. Roque, manager of Lingaro’s office in the Philippines also attended the event.

She also conveyed her special greetings to the women in the audience since the month of March is  “International Women’s Month.” END