08 December 2005 – The Philippine Embassy in Madrid reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the first informal forum entitled Tribuna Espana-Filipinas, held from 30 November to 01 December 2005 in Madrid, advanced and enhanced Philippines-Spain relations through the active participation of and interaction among the government, private sector, NGOs, academe and other member of the civil society of both countries.

“The Tribuna is  the product of intense work and coordination between Casa Asia officials and the Philippine Embassy for the past two years. What is also  worth emphasizing is that it was carried out at no expense to the Philippine government,” Ambassador Joseph D. Bernardo y Medina said.

The presentations and discussions at the Tribuna revolved around the theme “hermanamiento” (literally “sisterhood” but encompasses the special relations between the Philippines and Spain) and the “compromiso” or commitment to building a common future by learning from the past.

Distinguished speakers from the Philippines included Senator Edgardo Angara, Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, Mr. Vicente Aylion, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Insular Life Assurance Co.; Mr. Ambeth Ocampo, Chairman of the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts; Dr. Bernardo Villegas, Executive Vice president of the University of Asia and the Pacific; Mr. Pedro Roxas, President of the Spanish-Philippine Businessmen Committee; Mr. Rolando Tungpalan, Assistant Director-General of NEDA; Fr. Ruel Castañeda, Filipino parish priest in Barcelona; and Ms. Luli Arroyo, Director for Strategic Development, Foundation for Information Technology, Education and Development (FIT-ED).  The event was organized by Casa Asia, the Ayuntamiento de Madrid and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation with the assistance of the Philippine Embassy.

During the event, Mayor Lito Atienza and Mayor Alberto Ruiz Gallardon signed a sister-city agreement between Manila and Madrid at the closing ceremony of the forum. The agreement aims to strengthen the relations between the two capitals through various exchanges and joint projects

Meanwhile, Ambassador Bernardo announced that Casa Asia has convened the Jaime Gil De Biedma Fellowship Exchange Program in 2006 for Filipino and Spanish writers, actors, film directors, journalists, architects and other professionals.   Two fellowships are offered in 2006 to expand areas of knowledge within the world of art, architecture, cinema, literature, music, theatre and dance in both Spain and the Philippines. Application forms for the Jaime Gil De Biedma Fellowship Exchange Program are available at www.casaasia.es. END