Filipino sports enthusiasts trooped to Ruth Endress Halle in Stuttgart to witness the much-awaited opening ceremony of the Pinoy Basketball League. The tournament, organized by Mr. Joey Maniaol, Jr., will see teams from Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Reutlingen, Freiburg, Munich, Ichenhausen and Frankfurt competing against each other on August 3 and 17.

Ms. Rhodaliza Steegmaier, representing the Philippine Honorary Consul in Baden-Württemberg, welcomed the participating teams wearing their colorful jerseys and their families. In his invocation, Rev. Father Jonathan Ramoso of the Filipino Chaplaincy in Stuttgart reminded the players that their talents are gifts from the Lord and that everyone should be always be treated with respect.

Deputy Consul General Rogelio Villanueva Jr. of the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt led the ceremonial toss marking the official start of the Pinoy Basketball League in Stuttgart. Officials from the Migrant Workers Office in Berlin led by Officer-in-Charge Ms. Delia Palomar also graced the opening ceremony. END

As part of its information drive on dual citizenship services, the Philippine Consulate General held an info session at the parish hall of St. Ignatius Church in Frankfurt. The event was aimed at informing the public that the Consulate has begun accepting applications for reacquisition of Philippine citizenship under RA 9225 from former Filipinos who were naturalized as German citizens.

Deputy Consul General Rogelio Villanueva, Jr. welcomed the attendees numbering over a hundred, some of whom travelled more than two hours to reach the venue in Frankfurt. Consul Cecille Joyce Lao delivered a comprehensive and in-depth presentation on the requirements and procedures in applying for dual citizenship.

To encourage former Filipinos to take advantage of the latest changes in German citizenship law allowing dual citizenship, Atty. Alvar Rosales outlined the benefits and advantages of being a Filipino citizen such as the right to vote, hold a Philippine passport, practice one’s profession and own properties in the Philippines while addressing some issues on payment of taxes.

The open forum that followed the presentations allowed the attendees to ask questions and clarify certain requirements especially documents which need to be sourced from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The event in Frankfurt was made possible with the support of Father Francis Ofrancia and volunteers from the Filipino Catholic Community in Frankfurt. The Consulate intends to hold info sessions in other areas to enhance public awareness on the process of reacquiring Philippine citizenship under RA 9225 which has been made possible for former natural-born Filipinos and naturalized Germans as a result of the German Law on the Modernization of Nationality Law (StARMoDG) which took effect on June 27. END