New PHL envoy to Germany meets with Filipino community

New Philippine Ambassador to Germany Maria Cleofe Natividad began her tour of duty by holding a dialogue with the Filipino community last month, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. Natividad, who formally succeeded Delia Albert, was warmly received at the Berlin Tegel airport by the Ambassadors and other officials of the Berlin ASEAN Committee (BAC), which she will chair. “As her first official act, Ambassador Natividad held a dialogue on August 6 at the Embassy with the Filipino Community (FilCom) in Germany," the DFA said in a news release on its website. Before the dialogue, Philippine Embassy officers and staff welcomed Natividad with a toast and a reception at the Bulwagang Rizal of the Embassy. The Filipino community “deeply appreciated" that the new ambassador reached out to them, the DFA said. According to the DFA, the Filipino community “eagerly responded to the call of the Ambassador to be partners in the Embassy’s mission to enhance the bilateral relations, to promote the many business and investments opportunities in the Philippines, and to further improve the image of the Philippines in Germany." During the dialogue, Natividad also informed the Filipino community of the Embassy’s major plans and projects for the second half of 2011 to forward Philippine interests in Germany. These will be done within the framework of the three pillars of Philippine foreign policy: