The Philippine Embassy in Berne hosted a diplomatic reception on 15 June 2016 in celebration of the 118th anniversary of Philippine Independence at the Rathaus Berne. The event was attended by more than 150 guests from the Diplomatic Corps, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Swiss Parliament and other Swiss government agencies. Representatives from various non-government organizations and foundations in Switzerland, as well as members of the Filipino community in Switzerland also attended the event.
Ambassador & Mrs. Jimeno with officers welcoming guests
Attendees of the Diplomatic Reception
In his welcome remarks, Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Joselito A. Jimeno spoke about the activities the Embassy had accomplished in 2016, the major ones included the conduct of the 7th Philippines-Switzerland Political Consultations and the luncheon briefing on regional security architecture in the ASEAN region for the members of the Swiss Parliament and media in March; the signing of the free trade agreement between the Philippines and EFTA countries (Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland) and the 2nd Meeting of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) in April; and the conduct of overseas voting in connection with the Philippine national elections in May.
“We are also looking forward to the celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Switzerland, and the Philippine chairmanship of ASEAN next year,” added Ambassador Jimeno.
A presentation of the official video of the Philippine Department of Tourism, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” was shown following Ambassador Jimeno’s remarks. Guest performer, France-based Filipino soprano Armela Fortuna also gave a two-part performance. Her repertoire included the Filipino folk song “Sa Kabukiran”, the German aria “Vilja-lied” from the Operatta Die Lustige Witwe, “I Dreamed a Dream” from the musical Les Miserables, and “Somewhere” from the musical West Side Story.
Filipino soprano Armela Fortuna and husband perform before the guests
Guests were treated to a feast of Filipino cuisines and delicacies.
Berne PE Team with spouses
The diplomatic reception came on the heels of the various celebratory activities with members of the Filipino community in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. END
