06 December 2005 - Innsbruck, Tyrol Province, AUSTRIA – The Philippine Embassy in Austria reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs the inauguration on 17 November 2005 of the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Innsbruck, in the alpine Federal State of Tyrol, under newly appointed Honorary Consul Dr. Christian Traweger.

Ambassador Victor G. Garcia III said that the Filipino and Austrian communities welcomed the opening of the honorary consulate that will expand the Embassy’s consular programmes and promotional efforts in the western Austrian provinces.    The Innsbruck Honorary Consulate, the newest of the Philippines’ four Honorary Consulates in the Republic of Austria, will have consular jurisdiction over the westernmost Austria Federal States of Tyrol and Vorarlberg.

Ambassador Garcia presided over the oath-taking and inauguration ceremonies in simple rites witnessed by the leaders of Filipino organizations, as well as ranking representatives from the Austrian government and business organizations. (Please refer to the separate photo release, dated 6 December 2005.) Leading government guests was Tyrol Province Landeshauptmann (Governor) Dr. Herwig van Staa, one of the strongest advocates of the opening of the new Consulate.  Television station ORF-Tirol accorded full coverage of the event.

The appointment of Dr. Traweger as Consul, ad honorem, was met with wide approval from Filipinos and Austrians alike, in view of Dr. Traweger’s excellent credentials, as well as his strong affinity with the Filipino community and Philippine culture, Ambassador Garcia said.  Consul Traweger is currently a Professor at Innsbruck University and is Director of the International Study Programmes for ASEA-UNINET, in which capacity he has led academic and cultural missions to the Philippines and has managed exchange programmes benefiting Austrian and Filipino students.  A former visiting professor at the University of the Philippines, Consul Traweger was also instrumental in the conclusion of a “Manifesto of Intent” on tourism, academic, and cultural promotion between the Government of Tyrol Province and the Philippine Department of Tourism.

“We have made history and have come full circle, with the opening of the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Innsbruck,” noted Ambassador Garcia, referring to Tyrol Province’s notable place in history as the gateway of Filipino emigration into Austria.  “Like Dr. Jose Rizal before them, the first wave of Filipino migrants to Austria helped bridge Filipino and Austrian cultures. The new Consulate demonstrates the Philippine Government’s commitment to advancing these bonds of friendship, as well as to making its services accessible to the oldest Filipino community in Austria.

The first Filipino immigrants to Austria were nurses and healthcare professionals employed in Tyrol province in the late 60’s and early 70’s, laying the foundation for what would eventually become one of Europe’s largest populations of Filipinos and persons of Filipino descent.  Similar praise for the Filipino communities came from Governor van Staa, who commended the important contributions of Filipino professionals in the healthcare and hotel sectors, to the economic progress being experienced by Tyrol Province.  END