Germany Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel recently hosted a reception celebrating 32 years of German reunification.
The event, graced by first lady Liza Araneta Marcos, Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo and several other Cabinet members, was attended by more than 600 guests from politics, business and culture.
The occasion signaled the return of physical events at the German embassy after the pandemic.
Booths representing the partners of the event were set up in the ballroom of Fairmont Makati, which highlighted the broad network of German institutions and companies operating in the Philippines.
In her speech, Reiffenstuel highlighted the areas of cooperation between Germany and the Philippines, mainly peace-building in Mindanao; the promotion of the maritime rules-based order, in particular United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; comprehensive trade and business relations; climate change; renewable energies and sustainability; human rights; gender mainstreaming and women empowerment.
The evening celebrations were capped off by a world-class performance by Hamburg-based German-Filipino alternative indie folk trio Joseh. —Contributed INQ