23 May 2014 - The first-ever exhibit on the Philippines in Poland entitled, “The Philippines: The Making of a Nation,” and the first-ever seminar on “Poland-Philippines Relations: The Present and its Future Prospects” were held in Poland’s Sejm (Parliament) last May 7 under the patronage of Parliament Speaker Ewa Kopacz.
Officially opening the exhibit were Deputy Speaker and Vice-President of the Poland-Philippines Parliamentary Group MP Jerzy Wenderlich, Poland-Philippines Parliamentary Group President Adam Szjenfeld, Philippine Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Zeneida Angara-Collinson, Polish Foreign Ministry Secretary of State Artur Novak-Far and Philippine Ambassador to Poland Patricia Ann V. Paez.
Consisting of 16 boards, the exhibit chronicles the history of the Philippines beginning from its pre-colonial period until the present government under President Benigno S. Aquino III, with narration texts in both English and Polish. It was a joint undertaking of the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), the Office the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations (OUIER) and Office of European Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs, and Manila-based creative artist/photographer Mon Ching who was commissioned to do the exhibit’s layout.
The exhibit’s opening was followed by a seminar on ways to strengthen Philippines-Poland bilateral relations.
Assistant Secretary Collinson underscored the shared values of the Philippines and Poland as the foundation for their partnership and cited the potential areas for further bilateral engagements. For his part, Secretary of State Artur Novak-Far spoke about the policy of Poland towards Asia as an important element shaping Polish foreign policy at the outset of the 21st century.
Ms. Anna Polak-Kocinska, the Vice-President of the Board of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency for Strategy, Development and Finance, and Trade and Investment Counsellor Jose Antonio Buencamino of the Department of Trade and Industry presented the possibilities for greater economic cooperation between the two countries.
Director of Poland’s Ministry of National Defence Witold Jagiello and Philippine Defense Assistant Secretary for Plans and Programs Danilo Augusto B. Francia elaborated on defense and security relations. Possibilities for cultural cooperation were discussed by the Manager of the Asia Project of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute Marcin Jacoby and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Chairman Dr. Felipe De Leon.
The Chairman of the Polish Tourist Organization Rafal Szmytke and Tourism Attaché Venus Tan proposed steps to increase tourist traffic between the Philippines and Poland.
Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH) President Janina Ochojska reported on the progress of PAH’s rehabilitation assistance to the victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in Bantayan Island, Cebu, specifically the construction of temporary shelters.
The guests, estimated to be at least 200, were feted to an all-Philippine cuisine during the reception that capped the Philippine Day in Poland’s Parliament. END