28 October 2015 - The Philippine Embassy held its first ever gathering of Filipino students in Ankara, Turkey on October 17 at the Rizal Hall of the Embassy of the Philippines.
Twenty (20) scholars from different universities in Ankara, and a few from Gaziantep attended the event. Also present were members of the Philippine delegation to the 12th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), led by Director Silvino Tejada and Mr. Sammy Contreras of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management of the Department of Agriculture, and Mr. Isagani Serrano, President of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement.
The guest speaker, Professor Clarita Carlos, a renowned political science professor of the University of the Philippines, ASEAN expert, and former President of the National Defense College of the Philippines, imparted advice to the students in their pursuit of scholarly aims. She called on them to play an important role in raising the profile of the Filipinos and the Philippines in Turkey.
Director Tejada also expressed his admiration to the Filipino scholars for their courage to study abroad. He encouraged them to use this opportunity to further improve their skills, knowledge, and talent so they can bring something better back to the Philippines.
Mr. Adrielle Espinosa, one of the senior students called on his fellow scholars to take part in all future activities of the Embassy.
Philippine Ambassador to Turkey Maria Rowena Mendoza Sanchez and the team presented a plaque of appreciation and a souvenir gift to Prof. Carlos in appreciation for her invaluable presence during the occasion and for agreeing to accept various invitations to hold lectures at various think tanks and universities in Turkey. END