18 November 2014 - The Philippine Consulate General in Manado held a lecture on “The Role of Culture in Strengthening the Relationship between the Philippines and Indonesia”, during the Seminar on Education and Culture in North Sulawesi, hosted by the Christian University of Indonesia (UKIT) and sponsored by the Provincial Government of North Sulawesi, held at Sutanraja Hotel, Manado City on November 12. The event was attended by local and visiting Indonesian government officials from the various regencies in North Sulawesi, including the border areas of Ternate and Tahuna, teachers and members of the academe, students and the media.

The lecture consisted of an opening speech by Philippine Consul General Jose D.R. Burgos on the importance of culture in strengthening Philippines-Indonesia friendship, and recalling the history of cultural exchange and cooperation between Southern Mindanao and North Sulawesi. This was followed by a lecture by Vice Consul Jan Sherwin P. Wenceslao on “The Role of Culture in Strengthening the Relationship between the Philippines and Indonesia”, which outlined the concepts involving intercultural exchange between the Philippines and Indonesia, as well as suggestions for further strengthening Philippines-Indonesia cultural relations through various sociocultural exchanges and activities.

After the lecture, a Question and Answer session was held, wherein the Consul General addressed questions involving the traditional livelihood of residents in the Philippines-Indonesia maritime border, particularly in the case of illegal and unregulated fishing, the issue of citizenship and statelessness of Philippine and Indonesian nationals in the Philippines-Indonesia border area, as well as inquiries on scholarship for interested North Sulawesi students and technical and educational cooperation between schools in North Sulawesi and the Philippines. END