18 March 2015 – To renew partnerships and encourage Filipino communities to continue harnessing their strengths as respected communities in Germany, Philippine Ambassador Melita S. Sta. Maria-Thomeczek met with Filipino communities in various parts of the country this February to March. This was part of the Philippine Embassy’s thrust to broaden and deepen relationships with the Filipino communities. Ambassador Sta. Maria-Thomeczek, who presented her credentials to German Federal President Joachim Gauck on March 04, linked up with Filipino community networks in Essen, Frankfurt, Cologne, Bonn, and Nuremberg, covering four States, and the City-State of Hamburg.
‘We need to link up with and link in our Filipino communities here in Germany. The Filipino communities are our natural partners in pursuing our national interest in this country. They are our ‘ambassadors-of-goodwill’ in their local regions. Strong solidarity with and among our communities make for strong partnerships and better awareness on the work to promote our people’s and country’s welfare,” Ambassador Sta. Maria-Thomeczek stated.
In Cologne, she met with Filipina community leaders under the leadership of the Philippine Women’s Group e.V - Babaylan. Upon the group’s invitation, the Ambassador delivered a talk on ‘Gender Discrimination, Violence Against Women and Human Trafficking’. She clarified definitions of these concepts, gave updates on the situation in Europe as well as developments in the Philippines concerning these issues. She also joined the Embassy team for a consular outreach to the Filipinos in the region.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines of a meeting with the AFOS - Foundation for Entrepreneurial Development Cooperation, Ambassador Sta. Maria-Thomeczek also met with members of the Filipino community in Essen through the auspices of the office of the Philippine Honorary Consul in North Rhine-Westphalia, led by Honorary Consul Heinz-Peter Heidrich and Honorary Vice-Consul Milagros Wandelt.
In Hamburg, the Ambassador and Consul Azela Arumpac, along with Father Simon Boiser SVD of the Philippine Catholic Mission, Hamburg and Pastor Joel Ciprez of the World International Ministries, led the opening ceremonies of the 2nd Basketball Tournament at the Sporthalle. The activity, which brought together Catholic and non-Catholic Filipinos in Hamburg, featured five competing teams, including one team from Belgium, and was organized with the help of the Federation of Filipino Organizations in Northern Germany.
She later met with the leaders of the Filipino community in a separate session and explained the mandate of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, particularly in pursuing the three pillars of foreign policy. She encouraged the leaders to contribute to these efforts, especially in creating the conditions to ease the lives of Filipinos overseas. After the sharing session, the Ambassador responded to questions from the audience.
In Nuremberg, the Ambassador and Consul Ady Cruz met with a Filipina social worker servicing the region under CARITAS and members of a Filipino club promoting Philippine dance and song. Projects were planned to help the groups be updated on this aspect of Philippine culture. In Frankfurt, the strength of the Catholic community groups was evidenced through the long years they have survived while the other social clubs have dwindled or have phased out.
Through the Q&A discussions with the communities, it was clear that stronger channels have to be established to complement the already existing means by which they can be updated on Philippine news and laws. There were also discussions on how the Philippines can be promoted to second-generation Filipino-Germans. One association in Essen has young Filipino-Germans as members and their theme this year was “Know Your Roots”. This led to an interesting discussion on future visits to the Philippines.
There are over 20,000 Filipinos living in various parts of Germany, according to the latest figures from the German Federal Statistics Office. Of these, almost 4,000 are in the State of North Rhine Westphalia. On the other hand, there are about 1,130 Filipinos in Hamburg. The Philippine Embassy is committed to serving Filipinos through regular mobile consular outreaches, community visitations and other communication channels across the 13 Laender or States and the three City-States of Bremen, Hamburg and Berlin. END