GOVPH

PH Embassy in Doha, Sentro Rizal Participates in Doha Int’l Book Fair

Ambassador to Qatar Alan L. Timbayan at the Philippine booth during the opening day of the Doha International Book Fair at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center. (Doha PE photo)

DOHA 17 December 2018 – The Philippine Embassy in Doha participated in the 29th Doha International Book Fair (DIBF) held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center from 29 November to 08 December 2018.

The Embassy’s inaugural participation in the book fair showcased the rich literary and cultural heritage of the Philippines. Around 100 local titles of different types and genres as well as tourism promotion materials, cultural items, and artifacts were displayed at the Philippine booth.

The Sentro Rizal Qatar, a collaborative program of the Embassy and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, played center stage in the Philippine booth where a dedicated area exhibited the Rizal bust, his most prominent literary masterpieces the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, and his other published works depicting his prolific writing ability.

Organized by the Qatar Cultural and Heritage Events Center, under the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the DIBF was held under the theme “Doha, a City of Knowledge and Conscience” which is driven by the ministry’s vision of “Towards a Conscious Society with a Sound Conscience and Healthy Body” and in line with its various campaigns to foster a love of literature among its citizens and the expatriate community.

The ten-day event included local artworks on display, symposiums and sideline conferences, workshops, and various interactive cultural activities.

The book fair featured more than 400 publishers and publishing houses representing 30 local and foreign publishing houses from participating countries. There was also a total of almost 800 stalls and pavilions of book sellers, various government organizations, cultural institutions, and diplomatic missions in Qatar.

The Embassy plans to invite book publishers and writers from the Philippines to join the book fair and further expand the scope of its participation by including story telling workshops and interactive video displays for the succeeding year. END

The Sentro Rizal Exhibit at the Philippine booth featuring Dr. Jose Rizal’s literary masterpieces. (Doha PE photo)

Local patrons and guests visit and browse at the book collection in the Philippine booth during the 10-day event. (Doha PE photo)

The Embassy’s booth featured around 100 books published in English and Filipino as well as cultural novelty items and artifacts. (Doha PE photo)

PH Embassy in Doha Inaugurates Annex Building

Ambassador to Qatar Alan L. Timbayan and Al-Heshemi Group Executive Director Mohammed Abdulla Al-Hashemi led the ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the completion of the annex building on 03 December 2018. (Doha PE photo)

DOHA 11 December 2018 — Officials of the Philippine Embassy in Doha headed by Ambassador to Qatar Alan L. Timbayan, together with Al Hashemi Group property owner and Executive Director Mohammed Abdulla A. A. Al-Hashemi, inaugurated the newly-completed annex building of the Embassy on 03 December 2018.

The annex building, constructed at the expense of the building owner, will serve as an extension of the Embassy’s consular section. It is intended to provide a comfortable waiting area for consular clients especially during the summer season, when outside temperature reaches a high of 50 degrees Celsius.

The new building will also provide additional space to set up special areas to accommodate the needs of Filipinos awaiting completion of consular services in order to improve their overall customer experience. END

For more information, visit www.dohape.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinQatar.

Before and after photo of the courtyard where the annex building was constructed. (Doha PE photo)

Orchestra of The Filipino Youth Plays to A Full House in Qatar

The Orchestra of the Filipino Youth performs in the Katara Opera House (Doha PE photo)

DOHA 05 November 2018 – The Orchestra of the Filipino Youth (OFY), under the baton of young Venezuelan composer Joshua Dos Santos, performed to a capacity crowd composed of members of the diplomatic corps, business sectors, members of the Filipino Community, and local audiences at the Katara Opera House in Doha, Qatar on 26 October 2018.

The concert is a cultural diplomacy initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs under the Office of the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations, in cooperation with Ang Misyon Inc. (AMI) and the Philippine Embassy in Doha.

Composed of 69 young music scholars from the Philippines aged 11 to 24 years, orchestra members came mostly from underprivileged families.

“The Orchestra of the Filipino Youth is the main performing arm of Ang Misyon or The Mission, a non-profit organization based in the Philippines which believes in the transformative power of music in bringing about social change. Ang Misyon helps talented young musicians, especially those who come from underprivileged families, to hone their potential through the pursuit of classical music,” Ambassador to Doha Alan L. Timbayan said.

The Manila-based orchestra captivated the audience with their astounding performance of the 35-minute Symphony No. 12 “The Year 1917” by Dmitri Shostakovich, Nabucco Overture by Giuseppe Verdi, Batuque by Oscar Lorenzo Fernández, Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez, Mambos by Eugenio Toussaint and a wonderful rendition of the Filipino classic “Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko” by Rey Valera.

The Katara Opera House, which has a 430-seating capacity concert, reverberated with resounding applause for the outstanding performance of the youth orchestra who indulged the audience with three encore performances after extended applauses.  END

Conductor Joshua Dos Santos leads the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth’s stellar performance (Leo Bautista photo)

Ambassador to Qatar Alan L. Timbayan welcomes concert goers. (Leo Bautista photo)

he 430-seating capacity Katara Opera House in Doha is filled to capacity during the concert. (Leo Bautista photo)

For more information, visit www.dohape.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinQatar.