Berlin – An eight-member delegation of various indigenous tribes in Mindanao made a brief visit to Berlin on September 25, 2019 to seek the support of the international community and Filipinos abroad in preserving their unique way of life.
In a forum organized by the Embassy, the indigenous persons led by Datu Nestor Apas of the Laingan Manobo tribe recounted their painful experiences as unsuspecting pawns in a long-running communist insurgency. Members of the audience expressed solidarity with our indigenous brethren and promised that they would share the information with their family members and friends.
The group, accompanied by Ambassador to Germany Ma. Theresa Dizon-De Vega, met separately with members of the Bundestag’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Parliamentary Friendship Group, led by Green Party member Renate Künast, and officials of the German Federal Foreign Office.
The German officials expressed appreciation for the firsthand information provided by the group. They also signified their willingness to look into the diversion of foreign aid by bogus organizations, which support the perpetration of further violence against civilians and public servants in the Philippine countryside.
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For more information, visit https://www.berlinpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.de or https://www.facebook.com/PHinGermany.
