LITTLE OFFICE THAT COULD The Office of Public and Cultural Diplomacy (OPCD) is the DFA's public relations arm and in effect, the country's as well There’s still a lot of confusion as to what our diplomats do and I often feel it’s a disservice to look at them as people who only issue passports....
CRAFTY CAROLS Part of the caroling culture in the Philippines are do-it-yourself tambourines made of tansan Joseph was jolted awake by the street carolers singing, at the top of their lungs, “ Pasko na Naman” as they struck their makeshift tin can drums and shook their bottle cap...
The holidays are all about the birth of Jesus Christ, but they are also a great excuse to indulge your sweet tooth more than the usual GLÜHWEIN Mulled wine in a German Christmas market back in 2017. You give a few Euros as a deposit for the mug but you can also forfeit it and keep the mug instead...
TAKING CUES Everyone at the table watched how Israeli Ambassador Ilan Fluss ate the proper way, using his hands One of my biggest regrets in life was going to Israel in 2008 as a young, university student. Don’t get me wrong—I still think it was one of my most memorable trips ever. I got to...
TASTING THE FUTURE TOGETHER From left: Tippi Tambunting, Armin Amrein, Tom Bascon, and Amb. Alain Gaschen Swiss chef Armin Amrein is in town to bring his brand of Swiss culinary expertise to the country and its foodies. Just this week, he worked with M Dining + Bar chefs Tippi Tambunting and Tom...
8 BILLION TOO MANY The choice to be childfree must be met with the same respect as when people announce plans of procreating (Photo from Canva Pro) This week, the human population reached eight billion right in the middle of a climate crisis. Our planet’s practically dying as it tries to keep up...
‘In a lot of ways, my story is typical of a Filipino immigrant to Australia,’ says the Korean-born envoy KOREAN SHEILA Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Hae Kyong Yu When Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Hae Kyong Yu entered the newly opened Panco Café, almost every head turned...
Spotlight on the modern Filipino diplomat LUNA PICS Shaira Luna, assisted by her manager Jan Villanueva, photographs Asec. Raul Hernandez Among the Philippines’ major strengths are its creatives. Quite the cliché, some might say, and while we have yet to fully attain the international...
The embassy of Spain, Instituto Cervantes, AECID, and UN-OCHA collaborate on an exhibit that sounds alarm bells on climate change IMAGES OF DESTRUCTION The exhibit paints a clear picture of the tragedy and wreckage caused by Typhoon Rai As most of Western Europe grapples with a heatwave, the...
GOLDEN AGE OF RELATIONS Ambassador Koshikawa giving a speech at the 68th Anniversary celebrations for the Japanese Self Defense Forces Last week the Japanese Embassy celebrated the 68th anniversary of their Self Defense Forces (SDF). At the official residence of Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko, one...
The Department of Foreign Affairs recently commemorated its 124th founding anniversary, and there’s much to celebrate. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Ambassador Enrique Manalo – a career official in the department – as Secretary of Foreign Affairs (SFA) a week after the...
People: Ties that bind FRENCH TIES Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. and French Ambassador Michèle Boccoz after their discussion on strengthening PH-France ties in a courtesy call at the DFA (Vanessa Ubac) And just like that, it truly feels like everything is going back to normal. A whole range of...
