Germany-Philippines: A continuously prosperous, dynamic relationship in the modern world
In celebration of Germany’s Unity Day today, German Ambassador to the Philippines Dr. Gordon Kricke talks to The Philippine STAR about how his stay in the country is going so far along with the different efforts in ensuring the continuity of strong German-Philippine ties.
GERMAN REUNIFICATION
In 1989, in many cities in East Germany, more and more people protested against the oppressive communist regime and demanded democratic and political rights, freedom and the rule of law. These peaceful protests led to the fall of the Berlin Wall, which divided the city for many years, and finally to the reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990.
Dr. Kricke explains: “The German reunification was only made possible by the courage of East German citizens demonstrating peacefully for human and political rights, for democracy, the rule of law and freedom. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the political pressure became so strong that the East German communist regime collapsed.”
He adds: “German reunification was achieved without violence. This peaceful revolution is certainly close to the hearts of Filipinos, who had toppled a dictatorial regime through a peaceful People Power Revolution just a few years earlier. This shared history of a peaceful revolution unites Filipinos and Germans and is something both peoples can be proud of.”
“Essential for German reunification was the European integration. The creation of a politically and economically integrated Europe was the basis for German Unification. Germany, which is situated at the heart of Europe and is the European Union’s largest member state in terms of population and the economy, is a staunch defender of European integration, which remains the cornerstone of our foreign policy. The European Union promises all its members peace and freedom, human rights and democracy. Today, the European Union is an important political and economic player in the world. And this is why we also celebrate Europe and the European Union on the Day of German Unity,” Dr. Kricke states.
GROWTH IN ECONOMICS AND BILATERAL TRADE
Having been appointed to the Philippines last year, Dr. Kricke has joined the embassy with much enthusiasm given the many prospects for growth in Germany’s relations with the Philippines.
With strong economic relations and a bilateral trade volume of more than five billion euros (P300 billion), Dr. Kricke considers the Philippines to be an important trade partner for Germany.
He shares, “The bilateral relations between Germany and the Philippines are very dynamic. We have particularly strong economic relations, which I’m very happy about. The German economy is in good shape and we have many companies which are world leaders in their respective sector.”
“The German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which is growing fast and has already about 300 members, is playing an important role in strengthening German-Philippine business relations. We see an increasing number of German companies coming into the Philippines, interested in investing and trade. More and more often, me or some of my colleagues are attending an inauguration of a new office or a new production site for a German company. I think that is very positive and encouraging. I’m quite optimistic about the development in this area,” Dr. Kricke adds.
When asked about which sectors Germany has been investing in lately, the Ambassador mentions the BPO industry, manufacturing, energy, electronics and infrastructure. “We have a lot of investments in BPO because the Philippines is known for having qualified, well-educated and well-trained, cosmopolitan staff, which is of course very attractive for German companies,” he says.
FAMILIARITY WITH THE PHILIPPINES
While this is Dr. Kricke’s first posting in Asia—prior to the Philippines, he was the ambassador for the EU in Angola—he is not a total stranger to the Philippines, admitting that he once spent a vacation here 30 years ago.
He smiles, “Yes those were good times. I have been here once, 30 years ago, as a student, so I visited Boracay which was very idyllic, and which I liked very much and I wanted to come back to the Philippines but of course that took a while.” While it was just a vacation, the ambassador is still able to vividly remember his trip, where he was able to see the rice terraces and, of course, the country’s famous beaches.
Staying here for a year now, Dr. Kricke has been able to see more of the Philippines’ many beautiful provinces, albeit in conjunction with his work duties. So far he has been to Panay, Cebu, Bohol, Negros, Davao, and Palawan, the latter being a place he very much enjoyed.
Aside from having already stayed in the Philippines before, what makes the country an interesting as well as a pleasant posting is its long shared history with Germany. The Philippines’ national hero Dr. Jose Rizal spent a significant amount of time in Germany and even has a park named after him in the town of Wilhelmsfeld; a fact that the Ambassador is proud to share. In addition, the overall warmth and openness of the people is very appealing. “What most Germans like here in the Philippines is the mentality of the people, who are very welcoming, friendly and open and that makes it easy to start here and to feel at home,” he expounds.
Sharing of cultureS and intereStS
Likewise, Germany has also been very generous in sharing its rich culture with Filipinos, Dr. Kricke mentions the German Club, which has been founded at the beginning of the 20th century. It has served ever since as a great meeting place From Page E1 for Germans and Filipinos. They are also organizing the highly-anticipated Oktoberfest, which will now be in its 79th year.
“There are many Filipinos in Germany, with notably the health sector employing a great number, and numerous others are working on German ships staffing all possible positions there including lead ones. We also have many Germans living and working here in the Philippines. Germans feel very welcome here and that is one reason why we see ever more tourists coming to the Philippines from our country.”
Promoting culture is an area that he considers to be particularly important. “We have the Goethe Institute, which is very active organizing cultural events and promoting the German language. They play an important role in bringing German culture closer to Filipinos. In addition to that there is the German European School Manila (GESM) in Parañaque, which offers quality education in German and English language branches both following German schooling curricula and which only recently was again awarded the prestigious ‘label of excellence’ for German schools abroad.”
There is an increasing number of Filipino students coming to Germany, some of them are supported by German scholarships. Despite the fact that German universities offer top education, they do not charge tuition fees, but are supported by public funds. Many courses in German universities are taught in English, which is particularly interesting for Filipino students. Furthermore, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) maintains a permanent office in Manila, fostering contacts and exchanges between postgraduate students and scientists.
Germany is one of the most important partners of the Philippines in the field of development cooperation. He shares, “Our cooperation with the Philippines is quite substantial. Annually the budget allocation is about $50 million (P2.5 billion). It is mostly in two sectors: peace and conflict resolution in Mindanao through development projects, and the protection of biodiversity and the fight against the negative impacts of climate change. Those two areas are very important to the Philippines for many reasons: Peace and conflict resolution in Mindanao, I don’t need to elaborate why that’s so relevant. Climate change and the protection of biodiversity are equally important since the Philippines are particularly exposed to the effects of climate change and still harbor natural sites of fantastic biodiversity, but which are under pressure and need protection. “
The German political foundations—the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and the Hanns Seidel Foundation —have offices in the country and have already been for many years close partners of their Philippine counterparts to support development and modern democracy.
Connected in so many ways, the German-Filipino relations are a great example of how open communication, direct contact between people and shared interests can lead to productive cooperation in spite of the changing, sometimes even challenging times.