‘Father of DFA chief’s wife started Phl-Germany diplomatic ties’

MANILA, Philippines - German Ambassador Thomas Ossowski paid tribute to the wife of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario for her late father’s role in opening the Philippine consulate in Hamburg and starting diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The consulate was headed by Consul General Dr. Policronio de Venecia, father of Gretchen del Rosario.

The ambassador said Mrs. Del Rosario, born to a German mother, was a young girl when she accompanied her father to open the consulate in Hamburg.

“Since then you and your family have been always close to Germany and we would like to thank you very much for that,” Ossowski said in his speech at the reception for the 60th anniversary of Philippines-Germany relations on Friday.

The secretary said bilateral relations between the Philippines and Germany began with the opening of the consulate.

“I would like to thank the ambassador for bringing to the fore the fact that Consul General De Venecia was the very first Consul General in Hamburg and which initiated the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries,” Del Rosario said. 

He added that De Venecia was the consul general when the first exchange of medical students between the Philippines and Germany took place. 

The ambassador said the visit of President Aquino to Berlin last month was the highlight of this year’s anniversary of Philippine-German diplomatic relations.

Germany is the biggest economy in the European Union and the fourth largest in the world. With a bilateral trade volume of over four billion euros (about P230 billion) per year, Germany is the Philippines’ number one trade partner in Europe. German imports, which mostly are electronics, exceed Philippine imports. 

Germany belongs to the Philippines’ top sources for foreign direct investment from Europe. There are important German investments in the fields of manufacturing, technical services, business process outsourcing and energy, including renewable energy. 

It is also an important donor of development assistance for the Philippines. A big chunk of its official development assistance to the Philippines aims to boost climate change and biodiversity initiatives. Other substantial development projects support the peace process in Mindanao. 

In the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda, the German government and civil society donated more than 176 million euros (about P10 billion) for relief and rehabilitation efforts. German humanitarian organizations were also among the first who helped in the crisis areas.