PH Ambassador to Austria Meets with Filipino Community, Gives Embassy Updates
VIENNA 07 July 2020 – In the first assembly after the COVID-19 restrictions, Philippine Ambassador to Austria Maria Cleofe Natividad and Consul General Deena Joy Amatong met with representatives and leaders of Filipino community organizations in Austria on 24 June 2020 at the Chancery.
All Meeting participants strictly observed social distancing measures in accordance with Austria’s COVID-19-related health and safety protocols.
Ambassador Natividad opened the meeting with an announcement that the Embassy’s consular services would return to full operations starting 01 July 2020. She thanked the Filipino community representatives for their cooperation with the Embassy as regards the necessary safety-related adjustments being implemented since 04 May 2020, when consular services resumed on a limited basis. She further reported that the Embassy has continuously provided assistance to Filipinos in distress since Austria introduced restrictions last 16 March 2020.
Ambassador Natividad highlighted the role of Filipinos who rendered service in Austria in their professional capacities during the COVID-19 pandemic. She shared with them the appreciation expressed by Mr. Michael Ludwig, Mayor and Governor of Vienna, and other Austrian officials for the valuable contributions of Filipino health workers to Austria’s pandemic response. “Filipinos in Austria are again on the spotlight because of their dedication and compassion in the performance of their jobs. They truly deserve a fitting tribute from the Embassy as well as their fellow Filipinos in Austria,” Ambassador Natividad said.
In relation to next year’s milestone celebration, Ambassador Natividad shared that “the disruption due to COVID-19 has inevitably led to adjustments in our budgetary spending this year and in 2021. We would, nevertheless, strive to make the 75th Anniversary of Philippine-Austrian relations next year as memorable as possible in consideration of these present realities.”
In this context, Ambassador Natividad unveiled and discussed with the Filipino community the Embassy’s planned commemorative activities, which are envisioned to be people-centric and people-driven. She revealed the theme of the 75th Anniversary, which will be Science Diplomacy-centric – “Pinagbuklod ng Kasaysayan, Pinagyayaman ng Agham. The theme will highlight the nexus of science, development, and people-to-people exchanges, which is a cornerstone of both the past and the future of Philippine-Austrian friendship and partnership.
The Meeting concluded on a high note and with a renewed sense of cooperation within the Filipino Community in Austria under the guidance of the Philippine Embassy in Vienna. END
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