Embassy reaches out to Swiss Filipinos –
Introduces Sentro Rizal to Miss Earth Switzerland

The Philippine Embassy in Berne reported that Liza Andrea Kuster, Miss Earth Switzerland 2010, met with Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Leslie Baja to strengthen the ties between the Philippines and Swiss Filipinos, mostly born to Filipino mothers and Swiss fathers.

Andrea, as she prefers to be called, informed Ambassador Baja that since winning the title last year, she has pursued an advocacy of promoting environmental issues in Switzerland and would like to promote this awareness as well in the Philippines. Ambassador Baja welcomed this offer and encouraged her to regularly visit the Philippines in order help the country in this field. Since winning the crown, Andrea has become a popular model and events emcee in Switzerland.

The Ambassador also encouraged her as well as other second generation Filipinos in Switzerland to know more about the Philippines. He showed her the newly-opened Sentro Rizal at the Embassy Chancery which is one of the Embassy’s projects this year in line with the 150th birth anniversary of Jose Rizal. Jose Rizal visited Switzerland in 1887 and visited the cities of Basel, Geneva, Berne, Schaffhausen and Lausanne.

Ambassador Baja is scheduled to meet other second generation Filipinos in Zurich on 24 September. An organization called Network of Integrated Pinoys or NOI-P, a group of Filipino-Swiss professionals, was established last year to promote greater sense of awareness of and belonging to the Philippines to these second generation Filipinos. Last May, a forum entitled “Philippines in Perspectives” was jointly organized at the University of Berne by the Embassy and Noi-P.

There are approximately 10,000 Filipinos in Switzerland and are among the most respected foreign nationals in the country.