In commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt launched an art exhibition and mini-documentary video entitled “Jose Rizal and Art – His Travels in Germany and Europe” on 30 December 2021 at the Consulate’s exhibition area and Facebook page, respectively.

The activities, which were undertaken in cooperation with Magkaisa Creative Space, a Philippine and Germany-based art gallery, aimed to encourage the Filipino-German audience to take the opportunity to revisit the life and work of Rizal through the artwork of emerging Filipino artists of Magkaisa Creative Space and raise awareness of Rizal’s stint in Germany and some European countries. The Rizal artwork featured in the art exhibition and video documentary were the following: (1) “Touch Me Not” by Sarah Tario; (2) “Rizal and Wine” by Kristian Karlo Gonzales; (3) “Unforgettable Heroes” by Jhonrill Cudillo; and (3) “Rizal” by Luke Joshua Estrana. END

16 December – As a crescendo towards Christmas Day, the Filipinos in Frankfurt, joined online by Filipinos in Wiesbaden, Wetzlar, Limburg and Bad Homburg, began the traditional Christmas dawn masses that will run for nine days, culminating on December 25.

These Christmas dawn masses – Simbang Gabi – manifest the strong religious roots and spirit of the holiday season for Filipinos.

The Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt led by newly-arrived Consul General Marie Yvette L. Banzon Abalos sponsored the first of the series of masses at St. Ignatius Church in the heart of Frankfurt. The event also marked the first time for the Consul General to meet with members of the Filipino community in Frankfurt. She was welcomed by Filipino chaplain, Father Francis Ofrancia.

With the mass respecting health protocols, Consul General Banzon Abalos highlighted how Filipinos, both in the Philippines and in Germany, have shown throughout the pandemic, the willingness to bear personal discomfort for the sake of public health and the collective good.

This year’s mass collections will be used to support the computer project of St. Nicholas Catholic School in Anda, Pangasinan. END

15 November 2021 – The Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt conducted its fifth consular outreach mission this year in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia on 13 November 2021. The 9-member consular team, led by Vice Consul Fatima Mueller, a total of 154 consular services including passport renewal, legalization of documents and civil registry. Moreover, 22 clients were provided one-on-one consultations by Mr. Rene Mangune from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Berlin who also participated in the event to provide information and extend the services of POLO and OWWA.

In order to bring Philippine arts and literature closer to Filipino-Germans, the Consulate also conducted an art exhibition/art appreciation talk and book festival entitled, “Filipinism: What Makes Art Filipino” and (2) PinoyBookFest in Bonn, respectively, which delighted the Filipino-German clients of the consular mission. The art exhibition, which was curated by Essen-based art patron Mr. Virgilio Cuizon, featured the artworks of contemporary Filipino artists Aris Bagtas, Jorge Banawa, Emmanuel Nim Zorrick Enriquez, Luciano Artista, Anthonie Genosa, and Rigor Esguerra of Kunst Gallery. Filipinism is an art movement which highlights the real identity of the artist as a Filipino in their work.

Meanwhile, the book exhibition featured recent titles exhibited at the Philippine stand during the recently concluded 2021 Frankfurt Book Fair which was participated in by the National Book Development Board. It aims to promote the country’s rich oral and print literary heritage as well as develop the culture of reading among the Filipino-German community. END

30 October 2021- The Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt, led by Consul General Evelyn D. Austria-Garcia, officially launched today the Virtual Sentro Rizal (VSR) permanent digital exhibition as the Consul General ends her tour of duty in Frankfurt. The VSR, which is established in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), is a digital multilingual collection composed of over 200 text, video and photo contents related to Jose Rizal and other Filipino heroes, Philippine resources on arts and culture, values, literature, history, geography, environment, tourism and architecture, among others.

The VSR permanent digital exhibition aims to complement the Consulate’s cultural diplomacy initiatives, adapt and cope with the demands of the digital age and tech-savvy audience. The establishment of the immersive and interactive VSR exhibit incorporates technology, augments participants’ learning experience and creates another avenue to engage with the Consulate’s constituents.

During the event, the Consul General emphasized the importance of utilizing modern tools to advance the country’s interests abroad. She stressed that digital transformations, such as the establishment of the VSR, can be used to enhance the services provided by Foreign Service Establishments. She hopes that the VSR digital exhibition will be among her legacies at the Consulate and expressed optimism that the introduction of such modern technology could heighten interest on the Philippines’ national hero, and other aspects of the country’s culture.

In addition to the VSR permanent exhibition in Consulate’s consular area, other VSR exhibitions have been established this year, including those at the Philippine Honorary Consulates in Munich and Stuttgart and Ruhr University in Bochum, which is home to an existing Philippine Studies program. END

21 October 2021- The Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt, in cooperation with the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), held today the virtual launch of the publication of the final report of the one-year research project by Professor Stephanie Marie Coo via Facebook livestreaming in the FB pages of the Consulate and FSI. The published article entitled “Journey of Culture Through Objects: The Philippine Collection at the Linden Museum in Stuttgart” presented part of the research findings on the evidences of 19th century Philippine material culture found in German ethnographic museums. The project received funding support from the Office of then Senator and now Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda.

During the event, Professor Coo, who is a Marie Curie Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of Granada, Spain and Universidad de Lisboa, Portugal, emphasized that the first phase of the research project yielded significant research data which had never been previously published. She noted that insights gained from her person-to-person interactions with curators, researchers and academics have been invaluable and critical in providing context to the Philippine collections found in German institutions. She expressed hope that the second phase of the research project will yield further significant research data that will result in the publication of a full-fledged book on the subject.

Consul General Evelyn D. Austria-Garcia congratulated Professor Coo on the completion of this significant research material which documented Philippine realia in German institutions and contributed in enriching knowledge and information on the subject. “In bringing together museum experts, professors, researchers, diplomats and through the exchange of new ideas and fresh perspectives, this project has opened up meaningful opportunities of utilizing Philippine collections in German repositories, other than enriching cultural knowledge,“ the Consul General said. She expressed appreciation to Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, who was instrumental in providing financial support for the pioneering research project. The Honorable Deputy Speaker Legarda and FSI Director Jose Maria Carino extended congratulatory messages as well. END