GOVPH

SEOUL-BASED DIPLOMATS AND BUSINESSMEN CAPTIVATED BY BORACAY AND MANILA

Seoul, 29 May 2017- Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez led a successful Familiarization Tour of Boracay and Manila on 11-15 May 2017 with 42 participants from the diplomatic and business communities in Seoul. Two reporters from major Korean media outfits, The Korea Times and The Korea Herald, covered the tour.

The first leg of the tour was Boracay where the participants were treated to a wide array of marine activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling and sailing while enjoying the spectacular island sunset.  Madame Maria Ana Hernandez, spouse of Ambassador Hernandez, took part in scuba diving with several of the participants.   Other activities included buggy car riding, a visit to the nearby island of Sunset Cove and relaxing spa and lava stone massage treatments during the 3 nights and 4 days stay at the top rated and luxurious Lind Hotel Boracay. 

The tour concluded with a one-day stopover in Manila where the participants experienced a calesa ride in the Walled City of Intramuros. They also visited the Jose Rizal Shrine at Luneta Park before heading to Mall of Asia for shopping for traditional handicrafts at Kultura Filipino.

In keeping with one of the tour’s objectives to promote the Philippines’ culinary heritage, the participants enjoyed dining at three of Manila’s popular traditional Filipino restaurants, namely “Ilustrado” and “Barbara’s Heritage Restaurant” located in Intramuros, and “Crisostomo’s Filipino Restaurant” at Blue Wave, Macapagal Avenue.

At the conclusion of the successful tour, Ambassador Hernandez declared that "the tour had exceeded expectations noting that the turnout of participants was the highest since the tour started in 2015 despite being scheduled during the travel peak season and the tour’s pricey package premium."

The tour likewise garnered praise from the participants.  In her soon to be released article, Ms. Ha Young Choi, political reporter of the Korea Times, noted in glowing terms that “Once you arrive in a port in Boracay, you should take off your shoes to fully enjoy the soft sand of the island’s iconic White Beach.  The island is full of diverse leisure. You can enjoy snorkeling to take a glimpse of the beautiful sea. After having dinner at the restaurants along the coast, imagine a bottle of San Miguel beer with a beach view. Once the place lights up, it’s quite romantic.  The moon and the stars are exceptionally shining in the clean air.” 

Brazilian Ambassador Luis Fernando Serra was all praises for the tour, remarking that “We are very grateful to the Philippine Embassy in Seoul for making us a part of this tour.  What we loved about it were the excellent hotel, sumptuous meals, wonderful tourist attractions and warm hospitality of the Filipinos.” The Brazilian Ambassador added, “I would like to congratulate the Philippine Ambassador on this successful tour and hope that we could have more occasions to travel to other parts of the Philippines, besides the fantastic island of Boracay”.

This tour of Boracay and Manila is a follow-up to the two tours conducted in Palawan and Manila in May 2016 and in Bohol and Cebu the prior year. The group’s itinerary was organized in coordination with the Tourism Promotions Board and Land Master Rising Tour Corporation. The Philippine Embassy, through the Department of Tourism’s Representative Office in Seoul, conducts the biannual familiarization tour to promote greater awareness of the prime tourist destinations in the Philippines and to showcase the Philippines' rich culture, history and culinary heritage.

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PH EMBASSY CONDUCTS 1st CONSULAR OUTREACH IN BUSAN IN 2017

BUSAN, 20 March 2017 – The Philippine Embassy in South Korea successfully conducted its two-day consular outreach mission on 17 and 18 March 2017 in the city of Busan, the second largest city in South Korea after Seoul.

The consular mission, the first for the year, was conducted at the Philippine Consulate General located in the city’s north central Gumjeong District in coordination with the Philippine Honorary Consul General, Dr. An Sang-wook with the assistance of Filipino Association in Gimhae Korea (FASIGKO) members, Mmes. Ruby C. Alano and Erika B. Kang.

The seven-member consular team, which was led by First Secretary and Consul General Roderico C. Atienza, attended to 300 cases of passport applications, civil registration, notarization, travel documents, NBI clearances, and certification during the two-day outreach mission.

The Embassy was also able to provide overseas voting registration services to Filipino nationals based in Busan and outlying areas.

Busan, which is 325 kilometers south of Seoul, is home to 2,134 Filipinos. Apart from the community in Busan, Filipinos living in nearby Gimhae, Ulsan and Geoje also took advantage of the visiting mobile service.

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EX-CNN REPORTER, K-POP STAR LEAD WOMEN’S MONTH FETE IN SEOUL

SEOUL, 23 March 2017 – Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez hosted on 23 March 2017 a forum and dinner reception at his official residence for over 60 Filipino women as well as the female officers, staff members, and Korean employees of the Embassy in celebration of this year’s National Women’s Month in Seoul.

The event featured two notable Korean personalities: Ms. Sohn Jie-Ae, a visiting professor at Ewha Womans University, former CEO of Arirang TV and Radio, and CNN correspondent, and Ms. Jasmine Lee, the first Filipino woman and naturalized South Korean to win a seat at the National Assembly of South Korea.

The event also served as a venue for the Embassy to introduce Ms. Sandara Park, an A-list K-pop artist who started her showbiz career in the Philippines, as its Friendship Ambassador to the female members of the Filipino Community in the country.

Under this year’s theme, “We Make Change Work for Women,” the discussions centered on the role of women in galvanizing change in an otherwise traditionally male-dominated society. The two guest speakers also candidly shared their experiences on balancing family life and career, as well as the roles they fulfill as drivers of social transformation.

Ambassador Hernandez highlighted the positive and central role of women in social development, maintaining that gender equality is crucial and essential for nation building. He also encouraged the female participants to not allow themselves to be left behind but instead take an active role in bringing about positive change through meaningful engagements.

The Ambassador also underscored in his welcome remarks the great strides which the Philippines has been making in recent years in terms of narrowing gender gaps, as supported by data from the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report in 2016 where the Philippines ranked 7^th out of 144 countries surveyed.

After the formal program, the female participants were treated to a musical performance by Ms. Angie Karen Natividad, a Filipino singer who has been making waves in the Filipino music scene in Korea. The dinner reception featured popular Filipino dishes such as kare-kare, chopsuey, pork and chicken barbecue, pansit, and purple yam and coconut ice cream.

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