Filipino Community Enjoys Summer Weekend At Palarong Pinoy Sa Berlin 2019

Palarong Pinoy sa Berlin participants gather for a group photo after the event. (Berlin PE photo)

BERLIN 20 August 2019 – The Filipino community in Berlin took part in the Palarong Pinoy sa Berlin 2019 on a sunny Saturday on 03 August 2019 at the historic Tempelhof Airport grounds.

Some 200 individuals, including second and third generation Filipino-Germans and their German family members and friends, were present at the fun-filled event and joined various games.

The strong community spirit was on full display throughout the day-long sports festival, with participants enjoying not only games but also Zumba sessions, as well as sharing with one another a wide variety of home-cooked Filipino dishes, snacks, and desserts.

In her welcome message, Ambassador to Germany Maria Theresa Dizon-de Vega lauded the event organizers and the Philippine Embassy in Berlin’s partners for the activities, led by Fr. Tranquilino de Ocampo, SVD, and the Pastoral Team of the Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit, for an initiative that brings the community and their German friends together.

She expressed hope that the activity will help the participants become better individuals holistically, which would allow them to contribute in building a better community. 

The day’s highlight was the high-intensity volleyball tournament with six competing teams, including one from the Embassy. Filipino nurses and the LGBTQ community were also represented, with the latter’s Hauptstars Team declared as the tournament’s champion.

Traditional Filipino street games like patintero, tumbang preso, and sipa, prepared by the Embassy, were also a hit among Filipino-German children who grew up in Germany, and even among the adults who grew up playing the games.

The event is part of the Embassy’s month-long commemoration of Buwan ng Wika this August.

A video featuring the event’s highlights can be viewed on the Embassy’s Facebook page through this link: https://www.facebook.com/PHinGermany/videos/2476838112408523/ END

Zumba session kicks off Palarong Pinoy sa Berlin 2019. (Berlin PE photo)

Volleyball match between Philippine Embassy in Berlin team and defending champion Hauptstars. (Berlin PE photo)

Adults and Filipino-German kids enthusiastically play the traditional Filipino street game patintero. (Berlin PE photo)

The Pastoral Team and Volleyball Team champion Hauptstars receive the trophy from Ambassador to Germany Maria Theresa Dizon-de Vega (in light blue shirt). (Berlin PE photo)

For more information, visit  https://www.berlinpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.de or https://www.facebook.com/PHinGermany.