PH Consulate General in Frankfurt Joins Feast of Sto. Niño in Sankt Agustin, North Rhine-Westphalia 

Members of Filipno community from various cities in North Rhine-Westphalia follow the image of the Sto. Niño during the procession around the vicinity of the Steyler Missionare during the celebration of the feast of the Sto. Niño fiesta in Sankt Agustin last 19 January. Upper right photo shows Consulate personnel joining the procession. (Frankfurt PCG photo)

FRANKFURT 14 February 2020 – At the invitation of Father Rodel Liguid of the Archdiocese of Cologne, Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt personnel joined the annual celebration of the feast of the Sto. Niño in Sankt Agustin, North Rhine-Westphalia on 19 January 2020.

Consul Rogelio Villanueva Jr. led the Consulate team composed of Lolita Balansag, Violeta Bautista, Susanie Gonzales, and Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) Assistant Rene Mangune.

In his remarks during the program, Consul Villanueva highlighted the Filipino people’s strong devotion to the Sto. Niño as expressed in various forms such as the renowned Sinulog in Cebu, Ati-Atihan in Aklan, and Dinagyang in Iloilo. He added that Filipino communities around the world also hold their respective celebrations of the Feast of the Sto. Niño.

The Filipino tradition of paying homage to the Child Jesus traces its roots in Cebu when Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan presented an image of the Sto. Niño to Rajah Humabon. Every year during January, the feast of the Sto. Niño is celebrated by Filipino Catholic communities across Germany. Father Liguid asked the participants of this year’s celebration to pray for the victims of the Taal Volcano eruption.

The Consulate team took advantage of the visit to conduct registration for the overseas voting as well as provide information on Philippine Overseas Labor Office-Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (POLO-OWWA) services. There were 22 registrants for the overseas voting.

There are an estimated 4,200 Filipinos living in North Rhine-Westphalia. END

Philippine Consulate General personnel assist applicants for the overseas voting registration while Mr. Rene Mangune responds to queries on Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) services. (Frankfurt PCG photo)

Consul Rogelio Villanueva Jr. address the audience during the cultural program. (Frankfurt PCG photo)

For more information, visit https://frankfurtpcg.de/ or https://www.facebook.com/PHinFrankfurt/.