GOVPH

PH EMBASSY CELEBRATES 119TH PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE DAY WITH FILIPINOS IN ROK

SEOUL, 11 June 2017 – A daylong community event, called “Bayanihan sa Korea 2017,” was held at the Banpo Hangang Park along the Han River on 11 June 2017 to commemorate the 119^th Anniversary of Philippine Independence and the 22^nd Migrant Workers Day.

The annual event, which was organized by the Philippine Embassy in Seoul with the invaluable support of Stimula Productions, Inc. and the Seoul City government, was attended by around 2,000 Filipinos from all over South Korea.

The event started with a Catholic mass officiated by the Papal Nuncio to Korea Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla, who is also from the Philippines. The mass was followed by a short program featuring congratulatory messages from this year’s guests of honor, Vice Mayor Liu, Gyoung-Gee of the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Mr. Kim, Pyung-Hee of HRD Korea.

Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez, in his welcome remarks, paid tribute to the people who fought for the country’s freedom. He also challenged the audience to continuously fight for our freedom against poverty, crimes, drugs, and corruption.

Ambassador Hernandez also honored the thousands of Filipinos working in South Korea who, in pursuit for change or better lives for themselves and their families back home, are faced with many difficulties. He lauded their courage and passion, as well as the role they play in the economic growth and prosperity of the Philippines.

Ms. Sandara Park, an A-list K-pop artist who started her showbiz career in the Philippines, also graced the event. She was introduced as the PH-ROK Friendship Ambassador to the members of the Filipino Community and was cited for her commitment in promoting the Philippines as well as for being an effective instrument to bridge the two countries.

Following the formal part of the program was the parade of the different Filipino Community organizations in Korea. 32 groups, in their colorful Filipiniana wear and organization shirts, joined the parade. The Seoul Filipino Community was awarded Best in Parade while the Ansan Filipino Community bagged the Best in Street Dance award.

The event also featured performances from local groups as well as live performances from Filipino celebrities, Mr. Michael Pangilinan and Ms. Liezel Garcia.

On-site services, such as labor counseling, medical services, and financial and remittance promotion, were also made available. Prizes, such as laptop computers, round trip tickets to Manila, and other prizes, were also raffled off.

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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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