DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
P R E S S  R E L E A S E
www.dfa.gov.ph                                                                                           2330 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, Philippines                                                                                 Tel. No. 834-4000 
SFA-AGR-467-06                                                                                                                                                                                                                             14 June 2006
 
Philippine Consulate General, Hamburg leads independence day celebrations in northern germany

14 June 2006 – Acting Head of Post and Consul Christine Queenie C. Mangunay of the Philippine Consulate General in Hamburg, Germany reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Consulate led the commemoration of the 108th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence, which included a community celebration at the Consulate premises with North German Filipino organizations and visiting Filipino performing artists.

Consul Mangunay said that the visiting Philippine San Beda Male Singers serenaded the guests with Filipino songs after the traditional flag-raising ceremony. The 12-man singing group, en route to a concert tour of the United States, was earlier invited to northern Germany to perform during the well-attended Independence Day activities of the Philippine Centennial Organization (PCO) that was held on 10 June 2006 at the Congress Centrum in Hamburg.

The Consul added that aside from the San Beda singers, Filipino recording artist Marion Sedino also performed during the celebration held at the Consulate, enthralling the audience with his soulful rendition of “Bayan Ko” and Freddie Aguilar's “Anak”.

Consul Mangunay stated that the Consulate also received felicitations from the President of the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, H. E. Lord Mayor Ole von Beust, who, in a Note dated 12 June 2006, conveyed the greetings of the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and his message of felicitations to the Filipino community.

In his Note, Lord Mayor von Beust underscored the good relations and friendship between the Philippines and Hamburg, which started in 1850 when Hamburg merchants traded with the Philippines and established the link between Germany and Southeast Asia.

The Lord Mayor also cited the wealth of business relations between the Philippines and Hamburg, especially in air and sea navigation. Lord Mayor Beust remarked that the visit to Hamburg in March 2006 by Philippine Ambassador to Germany Delia Domingo-Albert “brings to mind the special relations.”

According to Consulate records, there are 5,730 Filipinos in northern Germany, the jurisdiction of the Consulate General in Hamburg.  Around 1,928 are based in the city-state of Hamburg while the rest are distributed in the north German provinces of Niedersachsen, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen, Sachsen Anhalt and Mecklenburg Vorpommern. END

 

/epa