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The Embassy of Philippines in Berlin |
Contact

Address: Luisenstraße 16, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Tel.: +49 (30) 86 49 500
Fax: +49 (30) 87 32 551
E-mail: info@philippine-embassy.de
The Ambassador
Amb. Irene Susan B. Natividad
Born on December 16, 1960, in Manila, the Ambassador Irene Susan B. Natividad has built a distinguished career in diplomacy, combining legal expertise with extensive international experience. She owns an A.B. in Journalism (1981) and a Bachelor of Laws (1987) from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, and later completed a Diplomatic Research Fellowship on Non-Traditional Security Issues at the University of Hong Kong in 2005. Fluent in Filipino, English, Spanish, and French, she has excelled in both legal and diplomatic roles.
Her professional journey began with roles in public relations and law before transitioning to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in 1993. Over the years, the Ambassador held a variety of important positions, including Acting Director of the Investigation and Prosecution Division, Director of the Treaties Division, and Executive Director of the Office of Legal Affairs. Internationally, she has served as a diplomat in various capacities: at the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa, as Consul General in Milan, and as Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.
From 2019 to 2022, she was Chief of Staff to Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. and Chief Coordinator at the Office of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. In 2022, becoming Chargé d’Affaires at the Philippine Embassy in Vienna before being appointed Ambassador to the Philippine Embassy in Berlin in 2023, a position she currently holds. Married with two children, she continues to contribute to Philippine diplomacy at the highest level.
History
Germany plays a prominent political role amongst the European partners of the Philippines. 2014 marked the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of mutual high-level political visits compared to previous years. The first visit by a Philippine head of state to Germany in 20 years, was made in 2014 by President Aquino, who met Federal Chancellor Merkel and Federal President Gauck.
Given the Philippines’ stable macroeconomic environment and high growth rates, there are clear signs of positive developments in economic relations between the two countries. In recent years, German companies making new investments in the IT-based service sector have outsourced internal business processes to the Philippines or opened their own call centres there. German companies in the maritime and transport sectors, too, see the Philippines as a future market. In the industrial manufacturing sector as well, more and more German investors are showing interest in the Philippines.
The cultural agreement reached between Germany and the Philippines in 1983 is the basis of a positive cooperation in the cultural sectors as well. Since summer 2008, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has funded a long-term lectureship in German at the University of the Philippines, whereas the activities of the Goethe Institute in Manila, which was established in 1961, focus on language work and programme work in film, music, architecture, and photography activities.
