GOVPH

PH EMBASSY CONDUCTS CONSULAR OUTREACH IN BUSAN

Members of the Philippine Embassy team led by Consul General Christian L. De Jesus (4^th from left, seated) pose with Busan Filipino Community Center Chairman Mr. Danny Guerra (3^rd from left, seated), Busan Foreign Workers Support Center Director Ms. Lee Inkyoung (5^th from left, seated) and members of the Filipino Community Center.

BUSAN, 15 December 2018 – The Philippine Embassy in South Korea conducted a two-day consular outreach mission in the city of Busan where approximately 2,060 registered Filipinos reside.

The Philippine Embassy’s six-member consular team, led by Consul General Christian L. De Jesus, extended 366 consular services including passport applications, reports of birth, notarization and citizenship applications during the consular outreach. POLO/OWWA and Pag-IBIG representatives accompanied the team to provide assistance and information on their respective services.

The consular outreach mission, the Philippine Embassy’s last for the year, was held at the Busan Foreign Workers Support Center in cooperation with the Busan Filipino Community Center and its volunteers. Filipinos based in surrounding cities also availed of consular services.

Busan is the second most populated city after Seoul, with approximately 3.5 million residents. Located south of Seoul, Busan is a center for international conventions and sports tournaments. The hosting of the annual Busan International Film Festival and Busan International Short Film Festival has earned Busan the title “City of Film.” END

PH’S BRINGHE AND OTHER RICE DISHES TAKE CENTER STAGE AT THE 2018 ASEAN CULINARY FESTIVAL

PH Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez (second row, 4^th from left) joins AKC Secretary General Lee Hyuk (second row, 6 from right), ASEAN Ambassadors and their spouses, as well as chefs from the

10 ASEAN member states during the opening ceremony of the 2018 ASEAN Culinary Festival held on 28 November at COEX Hall in Seoul. (Photo Credit: AKC)

SEOUL, 12 December 2018 – Food from the Philippines and other ASEAN member states were once again showcased at the 2018 ASEAN Culinary Festival which was held from 28 November to 01 December at COEX Hall in Seoul.

The annual fair is organized by the ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC) in order to allow the Korean public to experience for themselves the culinary traditions and food products of the 10 ASEAN member states.

This year’s ASEAN Culinary Festival focused on a variety of dishes that are primarily made of rice, such as Na Gyi Thoke from Myanmar, Nasi Katok from Brunei, and Sack Kor Ang Jangkak from Cambodia, and effectively showed how a common ingredient could be recreated differently to suit diverse tastes and cultures.

Chefs from the ASEAN member states were invited to the festival to promote their respective country’s food and bring out the distinct and traditional flavors of each country. The Philippines was represented by celebrated Filipino chef and restaurateur, Claude Tayag.

Chef Claude, who is known for elevating Kapampangan cuisine in the country through his restaurant Bale Dutung, prepared Bringhe, Philippines’ native paella cooked in coconut milk and colored with turmeric, and Ginataang Halo-Halo, a Filipino dessert that makes use of glutinous rice balls, coconut milk, and tropical fruits such as jackfruit and bananas.

Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez, who attended the opening ceremony with other ASEAN ambassadors, thanked the Filipino participants for joining the festival as a way to highlight the Philippines as a major food destination in the region and familiarize the Korean public with Philippine food.

AKC Secretary General Lee Hyuk also underscored the power of traditional cuisine to promote travel within the region. “Invest time in ASEAN food and get inspired to plan a trip to the ASEAN region,” he said in his opening remarks.

To complement the diverse selection of food served at the festival, and to further inspire guests to travel to the ASEAN region, traditional performances from the ASEAN member states were featured throughout the two-day event.

Ambassador Raul S. Hernandez and Madame Maria Ana A. Hernandez pose with Filipino chef Claude Tayag (center), Mr. Arnold Gonzales, OIC and Deputy COO for Marketing and Promotions of the Tourism Promotions Board, and

Tourism Attache Ma. Corazon Jorda-Apo in front of the PH booth at the 2018 ASEAN Culinary Festival.

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PH EMBASSY IN SEOUL BRINGS DIPLOMATS AND BUSINESSMEN FROM KOREA TO BOHOL

Seoul, 15 November 2018 - Philippine Ambassador to South Korea, His Excellency Raul S. Hernandez and Madame Maria Ana A. Hernandez, led a successful familiarization tour of Bohol, Philippines on 8-12 November 2018 with thirty (30) participants from the diplomatic and business communities of Korea, including the Ambassador of Greece, Amb. Ifigeneia Kontoleontos, as well as diplomats from Portugal and South Africa.

The participants pose with the internationally-acclaimed Loboc Children’s Choir. The tour group was treated to a 40-minute private performance of inspiring and heartwarming songs.

The familiarization tour to Bohol, which is the sixth tour organized by the Embassy, is part of the Embassy’s unrelenting efforts to promote tourism destinations in the country apart from the already famous destinations such as Cebu and Boracay. The familiarization tour is also in line with the Department of Tourism’s “It’s more fun in the Philippines” campaign and capitalizes on the influence of the participants in promoting the country as a premier tourist destination. The tour also provided a platform for the Embassy as well as the local government of Bohol to highlight to the Korean businessmen and investors the various business opportunities in the province.

The tour featured various renowned sites of Bohol such as the pristine beaches of Virgin Island, the rich marine species in Balicasag Island, the powdery white sand of Alona Beach, the Tarsier Conservation Area, and the world-famous Chocolate Hills. The visit to Bohol’s countryside was capped by a sumptuous seafood buffet onboard one of the floating restaurants that cruised the idyllic Loboc River. After the Loboc river cruise, the tour also included a private 40-minute performance by the internationally-acclaimed Loboc Children’s Choir. The participants were treated to the Choir’s rendition of heartwarming and inspiring songs including a medley of pieces from the musical ‘Les Miserables,’ traditional Filipino songs, modern English songs, and the famous South Korean folk song, ‘Arirang.’

Aside from showcasing Bohol’s breathtaking beauty, the tour also afforded the participants a chance to feast on Filipino dishes, including a wide array of local seafoods. From the welcome dinner hosted by Governor Edgardo Chatto at the Bellevue Hotel in Tagbilaran to the luncheon organized by the Department of Tourism’s Regional Office at Bohol Bee Farm, the participants tremendously enjoyed the variety of Filipino dishes that were especially prepared for them.

In their free time, the participants enjoyed the facilities at the luxurious Hennan Resort where they were also billeted. Apart from lounging in the resort’s beachfront in Alona beach, the members of the tour group also spent hours in Hennan’s three crystalline pools. And to ease their tired muscles, everyone was treated to a one-hour full body massage at one of the local spas in Panglao Island.

The familiarization tour to Bohol is a project of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, in cooperation with Philippine Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board. The Office of Governor Chatto also extended significant assistance to the group throughout the tour. The tour’s itinerary was organized by Achim Tour. END

(UPPER) Ambassador Raul S. Hernandez and Madame Maria Ana A. Hernandez pose with Governor Edgardo Chatto, Miss Global Beauty Philippines Pauline Amelinckx, and the Loboc Children’s Choir at the welcome dinner hosted by the Governor at Bellevue Hotel in Tagbilaran City, Bohol. (LOWER) The participants of the 6^th Familiarization Tour for Members of South Korea’s Diplomatic and Business Communities, led by Ambassador and Madame Hernandez, at the welcome dinner hosted by Governor Chatto.

The participants with DOT Region 7 Director Shahlimar Hofer Tamano at the lunch hosted by the Regional Tourism Office at Bohol Bee Farm.