Our man in Berlin
BOur Man in Germany is another Lady. Ambassador Melita Sta. Maria Thomeczek comes from the “German school” group of our foreign service corps. She was first secretary and consul at our Philippine Embassy in Bonn when the Berlin Wall came down. When the Philippine Embassy moved to Berlin, the capital of the reunited Federal Republic of Germany, she remained in Bonn as consul general and head of the embassy’s extension office in the former capital. (She was the “Mother Superior with pusong mamon” to whom the Filipino community could always turn to).
Ambassador Thomeczek succeeded another lady envoy, Maria Cleofe Natividad, who is now DFA assistant secretary for European affairs. Before them, there were two other lady ambassadors to Germany, Mina Falcon and Delia Domingo Albert; (Ambassador Domingo Albert was the first woman to be our secretary of foreign affairs).
In my father’s time, the men had exclusive domain for Foreign Affairs (and its double entendre), and the women were stenographers. In my generation, our batch of foreign affairs officers were 50-50 between both genders. Nowadays, if the trend continues with more and more women passing the foreign service officers’ exams, DFA may end up with an Amazon FSO corps; and the Philippine Ambassadors’ Ladies Association (PALA) may have to amend its statute to enroll husbands of present and former lady envoys.
Ambassador Millie, as she is she is fondly referred to by her staff, has a chock-a-block calendar. Early this month, she sherpa-ed Trade & Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez and a strong Philippine business delegation on a week-long swing from July 2 to 8 through Berlin, Nuremberg, Ingolstadt, Stuttgart, and Munich.
The Philippines was Partner Country this year at the Asia-Pacific Forum of the Bavarian Chambers of Commerce. The organizers had indicated that they would require a ministerial-level representation for a partner county distinction; and was settled when our trade secretary confirmed his participation at the conference. Being the partner country highlighted the Philippines as an important business destination. The conference gathered 408 participants, 26 exhibitors and effected a total of 403 consultation meetings among business, the chambers, and the Philippines.
The embassy also used the visit of Trade Secretary Lopez to amplify the Government’s position on the issues of drugs and martial law. The secretary reassured everyone on investment protection, zero tolerance for corruption, and commitment to honor contracts; and he enjoined German business to ride on the upbeat growth momentum of the Philippines.
German multinational companies recognize the Philippines’ capabilities and competencies and have selected the country as the location of their shared service centers catering to the Asia Pacific markets (e.g. plans to establish or expand shared services centers by Fresenius, BoehringerIngleheim, Merck, BMW). The Philippines is an emerging player in the global automotive industry. (BMW will source automotive parts from the Philippines; Ayala’s AC Industrials acquired German companies Misslbeck and Via Optronics, giving it entry into the automotive value chain.)
Every two years, Germany holds a major conference for German business in Asia and Jakarta has been chosen as venue for the next conference in 2018. The ambassador seized upon the visit of Secretary Lopez to afford him the opportunity to convey to key officials in the industry the Philippines’ track record in hosting international business conferences and to articulate our earnest interest to host the 2020 Asia-Pacific Conference for German business. The secretary was able to spell out especially to two key players in the selection board which decides the Conference site – (DIHK, the Union of Chambers of Commerce in Germany and the OAV, the East Asian Association) – our readiness to host this important event. FEEDBACK: