Vol.II No. 01 Quarterly Publication of the Philippine Embassy, Athens www.athenspe.net April 2008 PASSPORT, CONSULAR FEES REDUCED! Beginning March 13, 2008, The reduction of the costs of all service fees for passports consular services is in line and other consular with the government’s policy documents such as affidavit, to protect and advance the Special Power of Attorney interest of Overseas Filipino (SPA), certification, Workers (OFWs), the authentication, birth and country’s Bagong Bayani marriage reports, visa, and (Modern Day Heroes). citizenship reacquisition, President Gloria Macapagal were reduced by 38 per Arroyo directed all Philippine Ambassador and Mrs. Tiglao with Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis cent. (Continued on page 5) at a reception hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For a detailed revised schedule of Philippine Embassy, FilCom Athens PE hosts “Meet My fees, turn to page 5. Prepare for Independence Country Day” for Women’s Day Celebrations International Club The Philippine Embassy and leaders of the The Philippine Embassy in Athens What’s Inside? Filipino community organizations have hosted and presented last April 2, Athens PE Visits Corfu started preparations for the celebration of 2008 an event entitled “Meet My th the 110 Anniversary of Philippine Country Day-Philippines” for the GMA-7 Team in Greece Independence to be held on 15 June 2008 Women’s International Club (WIC) at the Fokianos National Stadium in of Athens. Arrival & Departures in Athens Zappeion, Athens, where it has been Ambassador Rigoberto D. Tiglao traditionally held for the past couple of and Madame Getsy S. Tiglao led Christmas Party with FilCOm years. the embassy officials and staff in Cyprus Corner welcoming the guests composed of (Continued on page 4) select members of the WIC, a prestigious international group of A N N O U N C E M E N T Yearend Report: (Continued on page 2) A Fruitful 2007 for the The Philippine Embassy and the Filipino community in Greece are celebrating the Philippine Embassy in Greece 110th Anniversary of the Proclamation of The year 2007 proved to be a very Philippine Independence at the Fokianos fruitful year for us in Athens PE National Stadium, Zappeio, Athens on particularly in the diplomatic and Sunday, 15 June 2008. The celebration will be a whole day program from 9:00 am cultural fronts as we continued to exert to 7:00 pm. The event, in a fiesta motif, initiatives and efforts to enhance will feature a food festival back to back Philippines’ bilateral ties with the with a program consisting of cultural governments of Greece and Cyprus. presentations of members of our Filipino Thanks to Athens PE’s persistent community. Athens PE Remembers 1986 EDSA lobbying, the Greek government finally There will be contests in dancing, singing, Revolution. Ambassador Rigoberto D. opened its Embassy in Manila in on-the-spot drawing, costume and band. Tiglao led Embassy officers, staff and February, almost twenty years after the Interested parties may get application members of the Filipino community in Philippine Embassy was established in forms from the Embassy and the Filipino commemorating the 22nd Anniversary of Athens. Workers’ Resource Center (FWRC) or the 1986 EDSA revolution last February through the members of the Sub- 26, 2008 at the Embassy premises. After In June, the country’s prestige was Committee on Contests. an early morning flag-raising ceremony, given a further boost as we celebrated Magkaisa tayo sa pagdiriwang sa Araw ng the Ambassador led all in a “Panunumpa Philippine Independence Day with a ating Kalayaan! sa Watawat” (Pledge of Allegiance to the successful diplomatic reception at Philippine Flag). The ceremony was Greece’s most prestigious hotel, the capped by a hearty Filipino breakfast Grande Bretagne, an event that was prepared by the Embassy staff. (Continued on page 6) 2 PhilippiNews April 2008 Meet My Country entire population of Greece,” (Continued from page 1) Madame Tiglao said. ladies based in Athens. Top tourist spots in the Philippines In his welcome address, Ambassador were also shown during the Tiglao gave an overview of the work presentation. Among the places of the Philippine Embassy in Athens which earned raves from the for the benefit of the Filipinos in audience were Boracay Island, Coron Greece. in Palawan, and Taal Lake and Volcano. He noted that Filipinos were well- known in Greece for being honest, Boracay in particular was interesting friendly, and hard-working people, for the WIC members upon hearing and thus there is great demand for that there are Greeks based in the them among Greek employers. island-paradise. Among them are Captain Nikos Gitsis, a pilot and co- Mrs. Getsy Tiglao introduces WIC members to the Philippines. founder of Seair, an airline company which flies daily to Boracay; businessman Yiorgo Psinakis (brother Tiglao, a WIC member since 2006, of television personality Ilias undertook to personally make the Psinakis) who co-owns the Zuzuni presentation. Taverna in Boracay together with his Ms. Coscoros also cited the cousin Geni Psinakis of the famous Philippines’ “wonderful cuisine” as Lopez clan in the Philippines. prepared by the embassy staff. After the presentation about the “Our members were clearly Philippines, the WIC members were overwhelmed with the variety and Ambassador Tiglao addresses the members of the treated to a buffet luncheon delicacy of so many specialties” Ms. Women’s International Club (WIC) of Athens. featuring traditional Filipino food Coscoros said, as she thanked Later, Madame Tiglao, who was a former journalist in Manila, gave a 50 -minute Powerpoint presentation to introduce the WIC members to the history, culture, people, and places of interest in the Philippines. Her presentation was warmly received by the audience who were pleasantly surprised to find that the Philippines has a unique history and culture that is both Oriental and Western. WIC members queue for the sumptuous Filipino lunch (right photo) prepared by the Embassy staff. Madame Tiglao also showed pictures of the modern Philippines that few such as lechon, adobo, pancit Ambassador and Madame Tiglao, and Greeks have seen, including the high- guisado, kaldereta, afritada, bistek, the Embassy Staff, for their kind rises in Makati and Ortigas business longganisa, spring rolls, as well as hospitality, warmth, and charm. districts, the third largest mall in the native desserts such as buko pandan, world called Mall of Asia along the kutsinta, buchi, and leche flan. Manila Bay, and other developments WIC President Bridget Coscoros This article and an excerpt of Mrs. in Metro Manila. praised the Philippine Embassy for its Getsy Tiglao’s Powerpoint “Metro Manila is actually a “wonderful, warm presentation.” megapolis. It is one of the largest presentation may also be viewed on She said it was made even more cities in the world, with its 16 million www.athenspe.net. special by the fact that Madame day time population exceeding the The ladies of the WIC are all smiles after getting a taste of Filipino cuisine and hospitality. Photos by: Carlos Montenegro II April 2008 PhilippiNews 3 MEET MY COUNTRY–PHILIPPINES By Getsy S. Tiglao (This is an excerpt from a Powerpoint presentation given by Madame Getsy S. Tiglao before the Women’s International Club of Athens, last April 2, 2008, at an event entitled, “Meet My Country – Philippines.) Good morning everyone. Thank you excavated in Butuan in Mindanao, and prehistoric items such as shell for this opportunity to be able to some are as old as 320 A.D. necklaces, stone tools, and pottery. introduce to you my country the When Ferdinand Magellan arrived in The most famous is a secondary burial Philippines. As you heard from the the Cebu islands in 1521, he found jar from Manunggul Cave in Palawan introduction I was a journalist for that the Cebuanos were already using which dates to 2,710 years ago. This many years before becoming the a sophisticated language. This was is even older than the Parthenon of ambassador’s wife. History, culture, noted down by his chronicler Antonio Greece, which is dated to 2,500 years and politics are subjects close to my Pigafetta, who noted that the native ago. heart so preparing for this talk was a word for youth was “benibeni”, a The Manunggul Jar real treat for me. married woman was “babai”, the navel had a cover that I hope that through this presentation, “pussud”, and silver was called “pilla”. featured a “ship of you will understand the Philippines It’s amazing that with just slight the dead” with a and its people a bit more, especially changes these are still the same words boatman ferrying since we have so many Filipino citizens we use in the Filipino language. the newly-dead into working in Athens and in other parts And now we have physical evidence to the spirit world. of Europe. add to this historical account. The This idea is similar to Greek mythology where you have Filipinos are friendly, hard-working, Laguna Copperplate Inscription Charon as the ferryman of Hades. This and peaceful people. They’re shows that ancient Filipinos already comfortable with foreign languages had profound ideas about death, the and can adapt to almost any culture. soul, and the afterlife. Given the Philippines’ historical experience, notably 400 years under Anthropologists and linguists have Spain and 50 years under the United determined that present-day Filipinos States, the Filipino was practically are the descendants of Austronesians moulded to become a Global Citizen. that originated from Formosa (now Taiwan) and moved southwards via But who is a Filipino you may ask? Batanes into the Philippine mainland. What is our difference from other (below) is the first written document They displaced the indigenous tribes Asians? using ancient Filipino language.