The Philippine Embassy in Budapest Commemorates the 125th Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence
and the 50th Anniversary of Establishment of Bilateral Relations Between the Philippines and Hungary
The Philippine Embassy in Budapest held a diplomatic reception on 05 June 2023 to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence and the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Philippines and Hungary. The event took place at the Stefania Palota/ Honved Cultural Centre.
The event was graced by Hon. Mr. István Jakab, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary and Ms. Katalin Bihari, Deputy State Secretary for External Economic Relations · Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary.
It was attended by over 180 guests, mostly by members of the diplomatic corps, officials of the Hungarian government, officials of academic institutions, business contacts and representatives from the private sector, and members of the Filipino community, including Filipino scholars pursuing studies in Hungary.
In his remarks, Ambassador Frank R. Cimafranca honored the sacrifices of our forebears in their struggle to fight for the country’s independence. He emphasized that it is our sacred duty to preserve this freedom and ensure its continued enjoyment by future generations of Filipinos.
Aside from the celebration of the Philippines’ Independence Day, the event also commemorated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-Hungary diplomatic relations, dating back to September 1973.
Ambassador Cimafranca highlighted major developments in bilateral relations as they reach this golden milestone. This includes high-level visits of Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó in Manila in 2017, Secretary of Foreign Affair Teodoro Locsin’s Jr. visit to Budapest in 2019, Philippine senators’ visit to Budapest in 2019 headed by the PH-HU Parliamentary Friendship Group head and now the current Senate President, Juan Miguel Zubiri, and was aptly reciprocated by the visit to the Philippines of a Hungarian Parliamentary Delegation headed by the Hon. István Jakab, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary.
Several bilateral agreements have been concluded including cooperation in the fields of economy, culture, education, science, agriculture, and MOUs between our Service Institutes and Chambers of Commerce and Industry. There are also regular political consultations and joint committee on economic cooperation meetings.
Deputy State Secretary Katalin Bihari, in her remarks, affirmed the close relations the Philippines and Hungary has and hopes that stronger cooperation will be pursued, especially in the fields of trade, agriculture, and labor cooperation.
The celebration was made more meaningful, thanks to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, for bringing to Budapest multi-awarded Filipino pianist, Dr. Raul Sunico. He is a former President of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and a renowned Steinway artist as well. He finished his Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York and a Doctor of Philosophy degree, major in Piano Performance from the New York University.
Dr. Sunico’s repertoire included Filipino classics such as Kumintang (F. Buencamino), Bato sa Buhangin (E. Cuenco/arr. R. Sunico), and Bayan Ko (C. de Guzman/arr. R. Sunico). He also played classical piano pieces of great composers such S. Rachmaninoff, F. Chopin, and C. Debussy. He paid homage to Hungary’s pride and one of the greatest musicians of all-time, Franz Liszt, which delighted the audience. Prior to the concert, Dr. Sunico conducted a masterclass at the prestigious Franz Liszt Academy of Music.
Guests were invited to a cocktail reception after the piano concert. In the reception, guests were also served San Miguel Beer (from the San Miguel Corporation) and Gaina Wines (care of PH Consul in Chisnau, Mr. Victor Gaina). END