Climate Talks PH spotlights energy, climate action

German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel

The German Embassy Manila, in cooperation with the Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy (CASE) for Southeast Asia project, on April 18 hosted the first edition of Climate Talks Philippines Manila at Yspace at the Yuchengco Museum, Makati City with the theme "Responsible climate action and enabling decarbonization in the Philippine energy sector: Pathways for a sustainable future."

Following the Climate Talks in Tacloban City, the event served as a platform for members of government, the business community, and the private sector, to come together and discuss the necessary steps, roles, and possible contributions in relation to responsible climate action. Climate Talks are an instrument of Germany's diplomacy to bring together, experts, stakeholders and civil society to exchange and find solutions to the current climate crisis.

The event's opening ceremony began with a speech by German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel, and welcoming remarks by Department of Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella. German State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action Jennifer Lee Morgan delivered the event's keynote speech, highlighting her visit to Tacloban and the city's experiences of Typhoon Haiyan back in 2013. She underscored that Germany has a lead role in climate action and called for solidarity with vulnerable communities through new funding arrangements for Loss and Damage as decided at COP27.

The subsequent discussion was held among a distinguished panel with Morgan and Fuentebella who were joined on stage by Atty. Angela Gia Ibay, Climate Change and Energy Program Head of the WWF Philippines, Dr. Faye Abigail Cruz, Laboratory Head of the Manila Observatory, and Caldwell Gregory Hoey, Renewable Energy Director of the MATEC Maschinen & Technik Inc. The panel was moderated by Ruth Yu-Owen, President of Upgrade Energy Philippines, Inc.

The panel gave initial reactions to the speeches by Morgan and Fuentebella, agreeing that the implementation of the Loss and Damage approach can contribute to support the Philippines' own energy transition. Morgan explained Germany's path to a comprehensive renewable energy supply, including the experience of phasing out coal, saying, "The German government pulled together various stakeholders, scientists, business, local authorities, from the states that had the coal, NGOs, and they negotiated actually a coal phase out date of 2038 that they recommended to the government."

She said this kind of work across different sectors could be an opportunity for dialogue about financing the accelerated decommission of coal between the Philippines, banks such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and countries like Germany. Germany also shut down its last nuclear plant last April 15.

When asked for the stance of the Philippine government, Fuentebella pointed out that the Philippines, as an archipelago, is confronted with challenges different to Germany. He also underlined that the Philippines is exploring how to combine its excess of offshore wind with generation of green hydrogen or ammonia.

Responding to how external factors affect the private sector's role in the renewable energy development, Hoey said "I believe that's [economics] usually the biggest driver of how we want to implement renewable energy projects right now and because fuel price is up, it means all our energy costs are as well. Inquiries and corporate requirements for implementing renewable energy have probably risen double in the last three years alone."

Dr. Cruz highlighted the relations of climate action and energy use, stating, "In the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report, it was highlighted that it's not just through supply but also in the demand that you can reduce your emissions. And so this is actually a good opportunity to tell people that they do have a role." This then poses the question of how to mainstream mass behavioral change.

In terms of public policy, the Philippines' Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act enables development planning of local government units (LGU) to integrate energy and involve different actors in the process. Speaking about her experience working with LGUs, Atty. Ibay said, "You can track that, you can make a pathway for clean energy to come in as part of your development, and then fully understand how to work with the electric cooperatives, how to work with businesses, promote solar energy in certain areas."

The event was concluded with closing remarks by the Vice Chairperson and Executive Director of the Philippine Climate Change Commission, Robert E.A. Borje, who commended Germany for hosting the Climate Talks Philippines.

Borje explained that the Philippine's transition to a low carbon economy relies on 4 Ps: clear policies, programs that matter, partnerships and progress. In order to achieve this progress, measures needed to be coherent and coordinated, encouraging stakeholders' compliance.

To conclude, Borje reinforced that, "We all can contribute and galvanize our work. Climate justice needs to be the bedrock of all our actions."

First lady breaks bread with woman ambassadors

By Catherine S. Valente and Kristina Maralit, Manila Times

(UPDATE) First lady Liza Araneta-Marcos recently bonded with resident woman ambassadors by hosting a luncheon for them in Malacañang.

DAMES OF DIPLOMACY First lady Louise ‘Liza’ Araneta-Marcos poses with resident lady ambassadors inthe Philippines in Malacañang on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. Mrs. Araneta-Marcos hosted a luncheon to thank the envoys for supporting theadministration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. SCREENSHOT FROM RTVM VIDEO

Those who attended the gathering last Wednesday were Ambassador Mary Kay Loss Carlson of the United States, Ambassador Bartinah Ntombizodwa Radebe-Netshitenzhe of South Africa, Ambassador Betty Palaso of Papua New Guinea, Ambassador Bita Rasoulian of Austria, Ambassador Shobini Kaushala Gunasekera of Sri Lanka and Ambassador Folakemi Ibidunni Akinleye of Nigeria.

Also present were Ambassador Annika Gunilla Thunborg of Sweden, Ambassador Grete Sillasen of Denmark, Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel of Germany, Ambassador Michèle Jeannine Andrèe Boccoz of France, Charge d'Affaires Monica Theodora Geertruida van Daalen of The Netherlands and Charge d'Affaires Lhuana Pamella Lopez Amorim of Panama.

"Thank you for supporting my husband's administration. I hope we get to do this more often," the wife of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in her brief speech as shown in a video posted by Radio Television Malacañang online.

In response, Carlson said the first lady plays just as an important role as the President.

"I really appreciate the atmosphere here of women supporting other women and their important roles. And that's why we are so honored to be here for your (Araneta-Marcos) official engagement. As a very important woman in this country, and frankly, in this region, it's a very challenging position to take on, and we are very grateful for the opportunity to be here," the US ambassador added.

Prior to sharing a sumptuous meal at the Rizal Dining Hall where the visitors were also treated to a brief cultural show, the first lady gave them a walking tour of the Palace where she also shared tidbits of its colorful history.

Germany donates drone to PCG

DRONE DONATION Philippine Coast Guard (PCCG) Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu accepts the drone donated by Germany, through its Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel (center) and the German Corporation for International Cooperation Country Director Immanuel Gebhardt (right). The turnover ceremony was held at the PCG headquarters in Manila on Friday, June 10, 2022. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

By Franco Jose C. Baroña, Manila Times

THE Federal Republic of Germany has donated an unmanned aerial vehicle, commonly known as a drone, to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to support its capability development.

In the turnover ceremony at the PCG headquarters on Friday, PCG Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu expressed his gratitude to the German government represented by its Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel and the German Corporation for International Cooperation Country Director Immanuel Gebhardt for the donation.

In his remarks, Admiral Abu recognized the emerging importance of unmanned systems in the performance of coast guard functions.

"More than its contribution to maritime surveillance for drug interdiction, illegal fishing operations, marine pollution and other nefarious activities, these UAV can improve PCG disaster response and relief operations particularly in damage assessment and in identifying areas where relief operations are badly needed," the PCG commandant said.

Abu said the UAV will also be utilized to provide imagery for reconnaissance purposes and generate high-resolution maps that can be used for a variety of maritime scenarios, such as rapid damage assessment of an oil spill incident or a quick survey of an area of interest for possible unlawful acts at sea.

"For these, the PCG and the whole Filipino nation are truly grateful to the German government. We are looking forward to our continued engagement and fostering a stronger partnership with our German friends," Abu said.

Marcos vows rules-based order in West PH Sea

By Catherine S. Valente, Manila Times

 

COURTESY CALLS President-elect Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. meets Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel of Germany, Ambassador Mohammed Ride El Fassi of Morocco and Ambassador Jorge Moragas of Spain in his headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. Marcos was elected president in the May 2022 elections and will take his oath on June 30. PHOTOS FROM BBM MEDIA BUREAU

PRESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has agreed to promote international rules-based order and the rule of law to maintain peace and stability in the disputed West Philippine Sea.

The commitment was made during his meeting with German Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel at his headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday, where they discussed the bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and Germany.

Speaking to reporters, Reiffenstuel said she and Marcos discussed their interest in protecting the maritime sector through enforcing the rule of law.

"We exchanged and we explored our joint interest our common interest in protecting international rules based order and the rule of law that needs to be applied also in the maritime sector," Reiffenstuel said in a press briefing after her private meeting with Marcos.

"We didn't go into details, but we realized that we have a common interest to continue with our cooperation," she added.

Apart from enhancing maritime cooperation between their two countries, Reiffenstuel said she and Marcos also discussed global challenges, including climate change.

"We exchanged [views] about the ongoing bilateral cooperation and the cooperation in the international frame in the multilateral formats. We also discussed potentials for furthering cooperation not only on mutual interests but also on addressing global challenges like climate change," she said.

The envoy said that she informed Marcos about the ongoing programs of Germany to help the Philippines in addressing climate change, including their €25 million donation for climate change-related projects.

The two also talked about global food security, which has been greatly affected by the war between Russia and Ukraine.

"I informed him about the upcoming international ministerial conference on global food security. This is also [set] against the background of the impact of the Russian war against Ukraine, with regard to the challenges on global food security," she said.

Reiffenstuel said that they also tackled the safeguarding of the rule of law and protecting human rights and  also underlined the importance Germany attaches to the rule of law and safeguarding human rights, and of our continued commitment to the same," the ambassador said.

"In this context that I also mentioned, German support, contribution and funding for the United Nations joint program on human rights here in the Philippines continues," she added.

The ambassador said that they also focused their discussion on renewable energy. Among Marcos' campaign promises was the provision of lower power rates to the people.

"Renewable energies, of course, are of great importance to us, to Germany. We exchanged ideas about the experiences and the commitment, the distribution and the share of renewable energies in our two countries," she said.

Reiffenstuel said that Marcos illustrated his early commitment to renewable energy by mentioning the wind farm in Ilocos Norte, and they agreed that there is a need to continue deepening the discussions, since this is an area of mutual interest.

Aside from the German ambassador, Ambassador Jorge Moragas of Spain and Ambassador Mohammed Ride El Fassi of Morocco also paid courtesy calls on Marcos.

More foreign envoys visit Marcos; find out who they are

National flags of Spain, Germany, and Morocco (Unsplash)

by Ellson Quismorio, Manila Bulletin

Ambassadors from these countries will be visiting President-elect Bongbong Marcos at his headquarters Tuesday morning, June 7 in another series of courtesy calls.

Specifically, the ones who will be meeting in Marcos are Ambassador Jorge Moragas of Spain, Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel of Germany, and Ambassador Mohammed Ride El Fassi of Morocco.

The courtesy calls from the envoys will take place at the BBM headquarters in Mandaluyong City.

On Monday, June 6, the incoming Philippine leader hosted ambassadors from Italy and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in separate courtesy calls.

Liebe Landleute

Liebe Landsleute,

die weltweite Corona-Krise stellt uns alle vor enorme Herausforderungen. Der Lebensalltag der Menschen in den meisten Ländern hat in den letzten Wochen einschneidende Änderungen erfahren – hier in den Philippinen gilt in den vielen Provinzen seit Mitte März eine sog. Enhanced Community Quarantine, die mit umfassende Restriktionen verbunden ist. Ich hoffe, dass Sie in diesen ungewohnten Lebensumständen und trotz vieler Einschränkungen gut zurechtkommen, und wir bald gemeinsam zu einem normaleren Alltag zurückkommen können.

Die - nach derzeitigem Stand für Metro Manila sowie zahlreiche weitere Provinzen bis zum 15. Mai geltenden - Vorschriften der ECQ gelten auch für die Botschaft Manila, d.h. wir arbeiten seit Mitte März in einem Schichtsystem mit reduzierter personeller Besetzung und Nutzung von home-office-Formaten. Aufgrund der mit der ECQ verbundenen Vorgaben ist die Botschaft bis auf weiteres für den Besucherverkehr geschlossen, telefonische und e-mail-Erreichbarkeit sind selbstverständlich weiterhin gegeben und ausgebaut worden. Ich bitte um Verständnis, dass die Botschaft aufgrund der aktuellen Einschränkungen das gewohnte Dienstleistungsangebot, insbesondere im konsularischen Bereich, derzeit leider nicht erbringen kann. Uns ist klar, dass diese Situation für viele hier ansässige Deutsche schwierig ist, insbesondere wenn es um Fragen zu Pässen, Visa für Familienangehörige, Urkundenüberprüfungen etc. geht.

Auch unsere Honorarkonsuln in Cebu und Davao leisten in der aktuellen Situation Herausragendes – gerade sie sind an ihren Standorten von besonders harten Beschränkungen betroffen. Ein großer Dank gebührt daher Honorarkonsul Seidenschwarz sowie Honorarkonsul Döring und ihren Teams, die ehrenamtlich umfassende konsularische Hilfe leisten und Deutschen im Land Unterstützung gewähren.

In den letzten Wochen war die Betreuung gestrandeter deutscher Urlauberinnen und Urlauber der Schwerpunkt unserer Arbeit, insbesondere die Organisation von Sweeper- und Repatriierungs-Flügen im Zuge des Rückhol-Programms der Bundesregierung. Das Repatriierungs-Programm der Bunderegierung richtete sich an gestrandete deutsche Touristen, nicht an hier ansässige Deutsche – bei etwaigen Ausreisewünschen stehen hierfür weiterhin kommerzielle Flüge von Manila aus zur Verfügung.

Die umfassende Einstellung inländischer Flug- und sonstiger Reisemöglichkeiten in den Philippinen stellt auch die Botschaft bei der konsularischen Betreuung gestrandeter deutscher Touristen vor besondere Herausforderungen – wir tun alles in unseren Kräften Stehende, um Transportmöglichkeiten zu organisieren und darüber zu informieren, aber angesichts der bestehenden Restriktionen können wir dies nur innerhalb der bestehenden Möglichkeiten tun.

In der täglichen Zusammenarbeit mit philippinischen Behörden erleben wir hervorragende Unterstützung unserer Anliegen, obwohl auch die philippinischen Behörden großen Belastungen ausgesetzt sind und bestrebt sind, die Krise bestmöglich zu bewältigen. Ich bitte daher um Verständnis, wenn es in Einzelfällen zu ärgerlichen Situationen gekommen sein mag. Ich bin sicher, dass hier dauerhaft ansässige Deutsche bereits viel Erfahrung mit philippinischen Behörden haben, was die Lage sicherlich in vielen Fällen erleichtert.

Auch weiterhin bleibt der Dialog mit den hier in den Philippinen vertretenen deutschen Institutionen eine wichtige Säule unserer Arbeit.

Die Professionalität und Flexibilität, mit der sich Goethe-Institut, GIZ, die Deutsche Schule Manila (GESM) und Deutsch-Philippinische Handelskammer (GPCCI) aber auch deutsche Unternehmen den Herausforderungen gestellt haben – und z.B. home-office-Möglichkeiten und online-Formate nutzen, ist sehr beeindruckend und trägt entscheidend dazu bei, in der hiesigen deutschen community, aber auch in der Kooperation mit philippinischen Partnern ein Stück Normalität sowie Stabilität zu gewährleisten, die gewachsene enge Zusammenarbeit fortzusetzen und den Gesprächsfaden nicht abreißen zu lassen.

Trotz der aktuellen Einschränkungen stehe ich in laufendem Kontakt mit Vertretern der philippinischen Regierung wie auch mit meinen Botschafter-Kollegen aus EU und anderen wichtigen Partnerstaaten. Mit unseren gemeinsamen Anstrengungen wollen wir zur Bewältigung der Corona-Krise beitragen und haben dabei auch die Anliegen und das Wohlergehen aller dauerhaft in den Philippinen ansässigen Ausländer im Blick.

Mit den besten Grüßen,

bleiben Sie gesund,

Anke Reiffenstuel

Botschafterin

Welcome to the Philippines, German Ambassador!

» Philippine national hero José Rizal was a mediator between our nations, who built bridges that are a solid base for our cooperation today. It is among my prime tasks as Ambassador to further strengthen these ties, and meet the people of this country. «

(Born on 7 October 1968 in Halle, married, 3 children)

Ambassador at the German Embassy in Manila since August 2019.

From 2016 – 2019 she was the Head of the Division of Humanitarian Assistance and Humanitarian Demining (Operations) at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. The Division is part of the Directorate General for Humanitarian Assistance, Crisis Prevention, Stabilization and Post-Conflict reconstruction. She has dealt with humanitarian assistance since 2012, when she became Deputy Head of this division (2012-2016).

Anke Reiffenstuel has worked in the diplomatic service since 1993; her postings included the German embassies in London, New Delhi, Cairo and Manila.

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» Der philippinische Nationalheld José Rizal war ein Mittler zwischen unseren Ländern, hat Brücken gebaut, die auch heute eine gute Basis für unsere Kooperation sind. Ich möchte diese Beziehungen stärken und die Menschen dieses Landes kennenlernen. «

Botschafterin Anke Reiffenstuel

Verheiratet, 3 Kinder

Botschafterin an der Botschaft Manila seit August 2019.

Bis Sommer 2019 war Frau Reiffenstuel Leiterin des Referats für Humanitäre Hilfe und Humanitäres Minenräumen im Auswärtigen Amt in Berlin.

Sie arbeitet seit 1993 im diplomatischen Dienst, unter anderem auf Posten in London, Delhi und Kairo. Bevor sie in die Abteilung Krisenprävention, Stabilisierung, Konfliktnachsorge und Humanitäre Hilfe wechselte, war sie in der Abteilung für Vereinte Nationen und Globale Fragen sowie in der Politischen Abteilung des Auswärtigen Amts tätig.