PHILIPPINE EMBASSY CONDUCTS CONSULAR OUTREACH IN ESBJERG, DK
The Philippine Embassy in Denmark, in cooperation with MWO-OWWA London and Filipino community in Esbjerg, successfully conducted a consular outreach program on 29-30 March 2025 at the Frivillighuset Vindrosen, Esbjerg, Denmark. The team was also joined by MWO Officer-in-Charge and Welfare Officer Sheila Mae J. Aguilar and Ms. Marife C. Manzano of OWWA London, UK.
London-based MWO-OWWA also provided labor service and conducted living quarters inspection of OFWs employed by DanePork and Tican Fresh Meats in Give, Denmark.
The consular team provided a total of 173 services, which include: the processing of 13 passport applications/biometric data capture; 7 civil registry applications; 17 notarials; 8 consultations on various matters; 80 employment contract registrations; and 48 OWWA membership renewals.
Members of the Filipino community in Esbjerg, led by Ms. Marirose Linsbauer of the Filippinsk Dansk Integrations Forening, assisted the consular team in the provision of the venue and other logistics. The Filipino community across the Jutland peninsula also expressed their appreciation for the conduct of the outreach program and welcomed the Embassy’s efforts in bringing government services closer to them.
Ebsjerg is the fifth-largest city in Denmark located on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula (about 298 km southwest of Copenhagen) in Southwest Denmark. It is a seaport city with an urban population of 71,505. As of the first quarter of 2025, approximately 2,980 Filipinos are registered across the Peninsula, excluding the cities of Funen island. END.
PH EMBASSY HOLDS “BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN ASEAN” TO ATTRACT MORE DANISH COMPANIES TO INVEST IN THE REGION
26 March 2025. Under its Chairmanship of the ASEAN Committee in Copenhagen (ACC), the Philippine Embassy organized an event entitled “Business Opportunities in ASEAN” on 26 March 2025 at Asia House, aimed at showcasing the region’s economic prowess, its strong collaboration with Danish firms and investors, and its potential to create good business sense for Danish locators. Participants from the private sector, diplomatic corps, and the academe attended the event.
Through two (2) interactive panels, officials from Danish companies, such as Carlsberg, Mærsk, DSV, Ecco, Grundfos, and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) shared their positive experiences in doing business in the ASEAN region, as well as offered insights for other firms that are interested in setting up their operations in the region.
Ambassador Herrera-Lim emphasized that ASEAN is the world’s 5th largest economy, with a combined GDP of over 3.9 trillion US Dollars, and a projected annual growth rate of 4-5% despite global economic uncertainty. With over 680 million people, ASEAN has a young, digital-first consumer base, driving demand for innovation and sustainable solutions. In addition, ASEAN is a strategic trading hub and gateway to the broader Asia-Pacific market due to its regional integration through free trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). He also highlighted that despite the distance, Denmark has strong economic ties with ASEAN, as evidenced by numerous Danish investments in the region, in the areas of water technology, maritime solutions, smart infrastructure, renewable energy, and sustainable food production, among others.
The discussants highlighted the availability of a highly-skilled workforce, the ease of having dialogues with government authorities, and relatively predictable regulatory frameworks in the ASEAN region. However, they also identified the scarcity of renewable energy sources and the lack of critical infrastructure as some difficulties.
In addition to the engaging discussions, the guests enjoyed a variety of ASEAN dishes, such as satay marinated chicken on stick with dip (Indonesia), spring rolls with beef (Philippines), fishball with papaya salad (Thailand), and banh mi with roasted veal (Vietnam), which were prepared by a Filipino caterer based in Copenhagen. END.
Filippinsk Filmdag Delights Viewers with Two Award-Winning Filipino Films
24 January 2025, Copenhagen. The Philippine Embassy in Denmark successfully held a film-screening activity entitled Filippinsk Filmdag (Philippine Film Day) on 24 January 2025 at KLP Auditorium in Ørestad, Copenhagen South.
Filippinsk Filmdag, in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), featured two award-winning Filipino films “It’s About Us but Not About Us” and “Kono Basho.” In attendance were more than seventy viewers from the local Danish/international society and the Filipino community.
Several attendees found “It’s About Us But Not About Us” excellent, very interesting, well-written, and greatly performed, and others voiced that “Kono Basho” was very touching and ‘is a great film about reconciliation’. The viewers also expressed their appreciation to the Embassy for bringing Filipino films closer to Denmark and requested that a similar activity be held at least twice a year.
Based on the viewers’ registration, 47% of those who attended are Filipinos and 44% are Danish. Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, and Thai nationals comprised 9% of the other viewers. 68% were female registrants, 28% were male, and the rest belong to the LGBTQIA+ community. Majority of the viewers were senior citizens (42.6%). 17.6% of the registrants have not seen any Filipino films.
END.
PH Embassy joins the Celebration of the 2025 National Arts Month
In celebration of the 2025 Philippine National Arts Month, the Embassy is holding a painting exhibit by Filipino painters at the Embassy Hall for the month of February. The main collection includes:
1. “Pamana” by Manny Sinquenco, 1999;
2. “Bahay kubo” by Jimmy Vista, 1997;
3. “Mangangalakal” by Brando Bati, 2000;
4. “Banga” by Jimmy Vista, 1999; and
5. “Mangingisda” by Charlie Timtiman (CharTim), 1998.
Under this year’s theme “Ani ng Sining, Bayang Malikhain," Post portrayed the Filipino identity by exhibiting artistic expression of our cultural heritage: “Pamana” symbolizes Filipino traditional ancestral houses; the classic “Bahay kubo” represents the unity of the Filipino community; “Mangangalakal” describes the conventional trading/market system; “Banga” narrates our traditional food/water preservation; and “Mangingisda” illustrates one of our country’s main source of livelihood.
Consular clients and Embassy visitors can view the artworks at the Embassy Hall until 28 February 2025.
END.
PH Embassy hosts ASEAN Fellowship Day
20 December 2024. As the current Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Copenhagen (ACC), the Philippines hosted an ASEAN fellowship day, attended by the Heads of Mission of Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, key officials of their respective Embassies, and their family members. The event was held at the Indonesian Embassy grounds in Hellerup (in the suburbs of Copenhagen), for adequate space and convenience to the attendees, whose chanceries are located in the same area.
During the event, Amb. Leo M. Herrera-Lim briefed Amb. Dewi Savitri Wahab (Indonesia), Amb. Thanh Nghi Luong (Vietnam), and CDA Puwit Wisartsakul (Thailand) about the successful visit to the Philippines of Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen on 09-10 December. He underscored how the high-level visit fostered closer bilateral ties between the Philippines and Denmark, and that on the occasion, several agreements were signed to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. Further, FM Rasmussen’s visit demonstrated Denmark’s recognition of the ASEAN and Indo-Pacific regions as key players in the world economy and geopolitical security. Post notes that following his visit to the Philippines, FM Rasmussen graced the official opening of the Danish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Amb. Herrera-Lim also took the opportunity to extend the Philippine Embassy’s gratitude to its ASEAN counterparts for their cooperation and support for Post’s initiatives throughout its Chairmanship this year, which have created heightened awareness of ASEAN to the host government and other important stakeholders in Denmark. He also conveyed that the Philippines looks forward to collaborating with ASEAN on matters of mutual concern in the coming year.
Dishes from the four ASEAN countries were served, such as chicken adobo, tofu sisig, pad thai, green papaya salad, beef rendang, chicken satay, fresh spring rolls, and banh bao, which were prepared by CateChing, a Filipino caterer based in Copenhagen.
ASEAN colleagues expressed their appreciation to the Philippines and Indonesia for hosting the event. They were also grateful for the Philippine Embassy’s efforts in preparing their respective local dishes, to cap off the productive year. END.
Press Releases
- Friday, 28 March 2025 PH EMBASSY HOLDS “BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN ASEAN” TO ATTRACT MORE DANISH COMPANIES TO INVEST IN THE REGION
- Tuesday, 25 February 2025 PH Embassy joins the Celebration of the 2025 National Arts Month
- Monday, 27 January 2025 Filippinsk Filmdag Delights Viewers with Two Award-Winning Filipino Films
- Monday, 23 December 2024 PH Embassy hosts ASEAN Fellowship Day