28 February 2013 – In commemoration of the 27th-year anniversary of the EDSA Revolution on February 25, the Philippine Embassy in Berne, Switzerland held a flag ceremony at the Sentro Rizal located in the Embassy Chancery.
The flag ceremony was followed by the showing of the films, “Ninoy: Heart and Soul” and “Puso at Diwa ni Ninoy” at its Consular Reception area. Personnel of the Embassy together with Consular clients watched the films together.
In his remarks, Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Leslie Baja noted that the 27th anniversary of the EDSA revolution is extra significant for Philippine-Swiss relations as President Aquino, on the same day, signed the Human Rights Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013.
It will be recalled that Switzerland transferred USD 684 million to the Philippines with the agreement that a portion of that amount totalling Php10 billion will be set aside for the victims of human rights violations under the Marcos regime.
The bill was presented in several congresses since 2004 but only managed to be passed during the Aquino administration.
Switzerland was among the first countries to recognize the administration of the late President Corazon Aquino and immediately froze the suspected illicit assets of former President Marcos and his associates.
In recognition of the strong cooperation between the Philippines and Switzerland in the recovery of illicit assets, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter jointly authored an editorial detailing the cooperation of the two countries in this area.
The editorial appeared in both Philippine and Swiss newspapers. END