Neither East nor West, but close partners in a globalized world

Germany and the Philippines lie at opposite horizons of the Eurasian continental mass. Yet, Germany and the Philippines have never been as close as today. In our globalized world, geographical distance has lost its meaning. Thousands of Germans and Pinoys connect every day and entertain close relations, be it of a political, economic or just interpersonal, human nature.  

The ease and intensity of our bilateral relations today reinforce our respect for Dr. Jose Rizal who became a pioneer of German Philippine relations 130 years ago. Rizal who spoke and wrote German fluently studied ophthalmology in Heidelberg and got inspired by the ideas of a democratic and liberal citizenship also discussed in intellectual circles in Berlin. He finished and published his famous book “Noli Me Tangere” from Germany and opened it with some lines by the German poet Friedrich Schiller.

At the end of this month of July my term as German Ambassador to the Philippines comes to an end as I will take up a new assignment in Berlin. During the last two and a half years, I had a chance to learn much about the Philippines. I have been lucky to meet many of its welcoming people and to appreciate the great potential and riches of this beautiful archipelago at the eastern rim of Asia. At the same time, I could see many of the challenges and tasks confronting the country. As a matter of fact, these are decisive years for the Philippines as the country is in a crucial phase of a modernization process, which could propel it to a new level and at par with other successful countries and dynamic economies in the world. 

Germany is a strong partner of the Philippines in this process. In the last years, our bilateral trade has seen a strong increase, with a balance slightly in favor of the Philippines. In order to give an additional boost, we upgraded the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry to become part of the official network of German chambers abroad. As we speak, Germany is the Philippines´ strongest economic partner in Europe. Today, German companies are providing thousands of jobs in the Philippines. At the same time, we are about to recruit hundreds, if not thousands, of Philippine nurses to take up attractive jobs in the German health sector. German experts are offering their best advice in reinforcing dual vocational training in the Philippines while Don Bosco is one of our strong partners in this field. Furthermore, we are about to unfold even more of the potential of our strong economic ties: through the wisdom of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, an old investment dispute (NAIA 3) is about to be settled. This will allow us to fully get rid of a past ghost who has cast for far too long an unruly shadow over the growing relations between our countries. I am certain, that with the positive settlement of the NAIA 3 dispute, more German investors will feel encouraged to come to the Philippines, more projects of German companies in the Philippines will push our bilateral economic ties in all fields where German knowhow and competence is at its best: from infrastructure development to manufacturing.

Over the recent years, we have bolstered our development cooperation with the Philippines in the fight against climate change as the Philippines is one of the most affected countries by climate change worldwide. Germany stood by the Philippines in a vast humanitarian support after the devastating typhoon Yolanda which showed the vulnerability of the Philippines in the most dramatic way. At the same time, Germany has become a very strong partner of the Philippines through many German-Philippine projects in the fight against climate change covering a broad field from renewable energy through environmental protection to disaster risk reduction. In addition, the Paris climate summit has shown that we have become close allies in the international fight for a sustainable climate.

Our two countries belong to the same community of values. We believe in an international order based upon the principles of international law and the belief in the settlement of conflicts by peaceful means all over the world, including in the South China Sea. We consider the establishment of peace in Mindanao as crucial for a prosperous development of the Philippines as a whole. The fight against poverty, against corruption and against all form of extremism has our wholehearted support. The brutal and evil ways of religious fundamentalists and criminals should not be allowed to tarnish the friendly and hospitable Philippines. We wish the new and democratically elected leadership of the Philippines all success in its endeavors to offer more opportunities to Philippine citizens and to strive for a just and fair society based upon equal rights and the rule of law.

Germany stands strong at the side of its Philippine friends and partners. Though our nations are geographically far apart we live in a small globalized world where we have to join hands to find solutions for the challenges of the future. Or as the great British author Rudyard Kipling has once written: “…there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth, when two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth!”