Consulate General of the Philippines Frankfurt

PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL IN FRANKFURT CONDUCTS ONLINE ART EXHIBITION IN SUPPORT OF FILIPINO ARTISTS AFFECTED BY THE PANDEMIC

11 September 2020 – As part of its virtual cultural diplomacy initiatives and in support of the Filipino artists affected by the pandemic, the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt, in partnership with Transwing Art Gallery, launched today an online art exhibition with an opening event streamed live on its Facebook page.

The online exhibition entitled, “Envisioning Healing and Inspiration from Abroad: Overseas Filipinos Supporting Filipino Artists in Times of Pandemic,” featured the artwork of self-taught Filipino artists from Transwing Art Gallery. The art pieces represent the responses of these artists to the pandemic, or the so-called ‘pandemic art.’ They show different emotions of the artists, including expressions of pain and anguish which could turn into hope and healing. A total of 31 art pieces from different artists were showcased during the online exhibition.
In her remarks during the opening event, Consul General Evelyn D. Austria Garcia said, “It is vital that we recognize and protect the work of our artists both for their economic well-being and for the preservation of a part of our culture.” The Consul General further called on Filipino-Germans to lend their support to Filipino artists especially in these unprecedented times. “Let us ensure that they emerge even more nuanced and vibrant,” she added.

It is hoped that through this virtual art exhibition, the audience may find another means to cope up with the anxiety and stress brought about by the pandemic.

“The creativity of the featured artists is cathartic as it unleashes their pain and fears, and turns them into hopes and aspirations for a better tomorrow through their artwork,” Mr. Klaus Hartung, President of Transwing Art Gallery said during the live opening event.
Some of the notable artwork include the ‘Genesis’ oil on canvas by Kristian Karlo Gonzalez; ‘Lockdown Stories’ oil, acrylic and magazine on canvas by Joshua Villena; and ‘Colors of Valley’ acrylic on canvas by Jerelyn Donguines.

The Facebook livestreaming event garnered over 320 views during the live broadcast and stirred online interests among viewers. END

Online Art Exhibition

The Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt, in partnership with Transwing Art Gallery, invites you to an opportunity to listen to the voices of the Filipino artists as they ‘envision healing and inspiration from abroad’ in their art. Join us and offer support for the Filipino artists in times of pandemic.

 

MANA Mo 2020

WATCH:

The Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt supports the 2020 Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo). It aims to raise awareness in the country’s vast maritime domains and its potentials among Filipinos. This year’s theme is “Iisang Bangka Tayo: Unity During Uncertain Times.”

#MANAMo2020

MANA Mo 2020

WATCH: The Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt supports the 2020 Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo). It aims to raise awareness in the country's vast maritime domains and its potentials among Filipinos. This year's theme is "Iisang Bangka Tayo: Unity During Uncertain Times."#MANAMo2020

Gepostet von Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt am Mittwoch, 9. September 2020

Apart Together

Are you experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic outside of your country of birth? Please participate in the WHO supported ApartTogether global study (32 questions, 10 minutes, 37 languages) and help us better understand the psychosocial impact of #COVID19 on migrants and refugees. You can find the survey on www.aparttogetherstudy.org

Please share details about the study in your WhatsApp groups and encourage participation. Thank you in advance.

Frankfurt PCG Conducts its Maiden Online Event with its Economic Diplomacy Webinar on Financial Literacy

 

Mr. Rafael Consing, SVP & CFO of ICTSI (left), and Mr. Arnel Talisayon, Consul General of Geneva PCG/PM (right), served as panelists during the Consulate’s webinar on Financial Literacy.

31 August 2020, Frankfurt – The Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt conducted last 29 August its maiden online event for members of the Filipino-German community in its jurisdiction with the Economic Diplomacy Webinar on Financial Literacy.  An online presentation of the subject was deemed fitting and timely, considering the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic in many people’s lives, including overseas Filipinos.

Consul General Evelyn Austria-Garcia provided the welcome remarks.  She extended her warmest greetings to kababayans in Southern Germany, who set aside their Saturday morning, to take part in the event.  She added that the current situation has obligated the Consulate to utilize such non-traditional means to reach out to its constituents.

 

Pictured above are Consul General Evelyn Austria-Garcia (left) and Deputy Consul General Emil Fernandez (right), as they participate in the Consulate’s maiden online event.

“This webinar is also an offshoot of the investment roadshow conducted by the Management Association of the Philippines in Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich last year, as there was a clamor from audience members to convene a forum on Financial Literacy.  It also takes the place of the Business Forum the Consulate planned during the Barrio Fiesta, which unfortunately had to be cancelled due to the German Government’s Covid-19 restrictions,” Consul General Austria-Garcia said.

Two distinguished panelists were on hand for the occasion.  Mr. Rafael Consing, who is the Chief Financial Officer of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), discussed the importance of being financially literate and having sound financial management skills.  He provided practical advice on saving and the wise use of funds, and enumerated the various investment outlets available in the market, from short-term money market instruments, such as treasury bills, commercial papers and mutual funds, to the more volatile stock market, which has the potential to generate higher returns in the long run.

Mr. Consing is an accomplished finance executive with extensive experience in investment banking and global markets, corporate treasury and finance, investor relations, global insurance and risk management.  He assumed various roles in several leading financial institutions, including HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Bankers Trust and ING Barings.  He served as Vice President and Treasurer of Aboitiz & Company, before joining ICTSI, one of the top port operators in the world.  Mr. Consing is a sought after speaker on the subject and has been the recipient of several accolades, including being recognized by the Corporate Governance Asia as Asia’s Best CFO for Investor Relations, inclusion in Institutional Investor’s All-Asia Executive Team, twice being named Best CFO in the Philippines by Alpha Southeast Asia, CFO of the Year by CFO Innovation, and Treasurer of the Year-Philippines by The Asset.

Mr. Arnel Talisayon, on the other hand, centered his presentation to those with a higher tolerance for risk and a more entrepreneurial mindset.  He discussed the opportunities and challenges in engaging in a business.  He talked about the common mistakes made by overseas Filipinos and practical matters that can be expected with startups in the Philippines.  He also delved on other important aspects of financial education, such as retirement and social security, and addressed the question: is establishing a business the ultimate goal of financial education?

Mr. Talisayon currently serves as Consul General at the Philippine Mission/Consulate General in Geneva and also handles intellectual property issues. He began teaching Financial Education to overseas Filipinos while on assignment at the Philippine Embassy in South Korea.  He graduated from the UP College of Business Administration, studied Business and Economics as a fulltime exchange student at the Meiji Gakuin University in Japan and was a student fellow in Communication Studies at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.

The forum was capped with a question-and-answer session, as viewers were able to post their questions through the FB’s comments section.  The activity was held via Zoom and simultaneously streamed live in the Consulate’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/PHinFrankfurt/, where it may still be viewed by interested parties.  Fifty-one attendees viewed the live proceedings and a video recording of the webinar has been seen over 1,900 times in just 2 days.  (END)

Happy ASEAN Day!

Happy ASEAN Day!

The ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (COCI) presents Break the Chain The Arts Respond to COVID-19. An Awareness Campaign, to celebrate the ASEAN Month and the 2020 Year of ASEAN Identity. The project is a compilation of video performances of traditional, folk, and classical dances from the ASEAN Member States which were specially choreographed to promote health and safety protocols like hand washing, wearing of face masks, and physical distancing.

ASEAN was formally established on 08 August 1967. The ASEAN COCI was set up in October 1978 to promote effective cooperation in the fields of culture and information for the purpose of enhancing mutual understanding and solidarity among the peoples of ASEAN as well as in furthering regional development. The national ASEAN-COCI of the Philippines is headed by the Department of Foreign Affairs, with the Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) as focal agencies for culture, while the Presidential Communications Office (PCOO), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), and People’s Television {PTV) serve as focal agencies for the information sector.

ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY WEBINAR ON FINANCIAL LITERACY, 29 AUGUST 2020

Thinking of starting your own business in the Philippines? Switzerland-based Arnel Talisayon will share his knowledge, during the Consulate’s Economic Diplomacy webinar on Financial Literacy, on the practical things that startups in the Philippines should expect. He will discuss the challenges and opportunities often encountered by overseas Filipinos and their families when engaging in a business. He will also explore other important aspects of financial education, such as retirement and social security, and attempt to answer the question: is establishing a business the ultimate goal of financial education?

Mr. Talisayon joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2003 and is currently assigned at the Philippine Mission in Geneva, where he handles intellectual property issues. He began teaching financial education to overseas Filipinos in 2009 while stationed at the Philippine Embassy in South Korea.

He graduated from the UP College of Business Administration in 2001, where he ranked third in his batch. He also studied Business and Economics, as a fulltime exchange student at the Meiji Gakuin University in Japan from 1998 to 1999 and was a student fellow in Communication Studies at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore in 2001.

Join us this Saturday, August 29, at 10:30 a.m. when the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt streams live, here in its Facebook page, its Economic Diplomacy webinar on Financial Literacy! See you then!

[Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Immigration of the Philippines]

DFA Holds Special Free Screening of Tanghalang Pilipino’s Zarzuela “Walang Sugat”

DFA Holds Special Free Screening of Tanghalang Pilipino’s Zarzuela “Walang Sugat”: https://bit.ly/32rVNLJ

To cap the virtual celebrations of “Buwan ng Pambansang Wika” (National Language Month) and “Buwan ng Kasaysayan” (History Month) held by the Department of Foreign Affairs this August, a special free screening of the classic zarzuela, “Walang Sugat (Unwounded),” will be held from 29 to 31 August 2020 through the DFA Official Website (https://tinyurl.com/DFAZarzuela).

An initiative of the DFA Office Strategic Communications and Research – Cultural Diplomacy Division, the special screening is in cooperation with the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Tanghalang Pilipino.

The Tagalog-language zarzuela “Walang Sugat,” which was written in 1898 by Severino Reyes, the Father of Tagalog Plays and Zarzuela and more popularly known for his pen name “Lola Basyang,” was first staged in 1902 at Teatro Libertad. For this special screening, the DFA will feature the Tanghalang Pilipino production which was mounted for its 26th Season in 2012.

In this production of the timeless classic zarzuela, the story of forbidden love amid the 1896 Philippine Revolutionary movement against the Spaniards was beautifully portrayed by soprano Cris Villonco who played the character of “Julia,” and the tenor Noel Rayos who played the role of “Temyong.”

Direction was done by Carlos Siguon-Reyna and for this production, Dr. Nicanor Tiongson, Fulgencio Tolentino, and Mike Velarde added some lines to the 1898 original work of the playwright. Nonoy Froilan took charge of choreography while Chino Toledo was in charge of the musical direction.

Zarzuela is a Spanish tradition that started in Spain in the 17th century which showed the cultures of Spain through music and dance. When it was introduced in the Philippines in the 19th Century by Spanish director Alejandro Cubero, the zarzuela transformed to narrate the contemporary socio-cultural-economic and political issues through songs, dances, and lyric poetry masked in romance.

Apart from this screening, the Tanghalang Pilipino will also be holding, “Handa Awit,” a special performance of songs from their previous musicals such as “Walang Sugat” and “Noli Me Tangere The Musical” on their YouTube Channel on 31 August 2020 at 6:00 p.m.

Economic Diplomacy Webinar on Financial Literacy, 29 August 2020

The Consulate is elated to have an accomplished finance executive among its speakers during its Economic Diplomacy webinar on Financial Literacy this Saturday, August 29!

Mr. Rafael D. Consing Jr. is the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), one of the top port operators in the world. He has extensive experience in investment banking and global markets, corporate treasury and finance, investor relations, global corporate insurance and risk management.

Mr. Consing has assumed various roles in several leading financial institutions, including HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Bankers Trust and ING Barings. He served as Vice President and Treasurer of Aboitiz & Company, before joining ICTSI.

He is a recipient of several awards, including being recognized by the Corporate Governance Asia as Asia’s Best CFO for Investor Relations, inclusion in Institutional Investor’s All-Asia Executive Team, Best CFO in the Philippines by Alpha Southeast Asia, CFO of the Year by CFO Innovation, and Treasurer of the Year-Philippines by The Asset.

Join us this Saturday, August 29, at 10:30 a.m. when Mr. Consing will talk about possible investment outlets for your excess funds during the Consulate’s Economic Diplomacy webinar on Financial Literacy. The event will be streamed live right here at the Facebook page of the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt.
[Photo courtesy of thecorporatetreasurer(dot)com]