The Philippine Embassy Granted the Kalayaan Award
Three Filipinos in Berlin received the Kalayaan Award for outstanding achievement
June 25th, 2024
Three members of the Filipino community in Germany received the Kalayaan Award for outstanding contribution to their fields: literature, music, and science.
The award was granted during the Independence Day Open House at the Philippine Embassy in Berlin on the 15th of June.
Ambassador Irene Susan Natividad conferred the award to the three distinguished Filipinos: Dr. Denise Margaret Matias for science, Sheree Domingo for Literature and Emanuel John Villarin for Music.
“These outstanding members of our community have used the freedoms we enjoy today to pursue their dreams , excel in their chosen field, and contribute to the betterment of our world. Today we recognize their work and the pride they bring to the community and the country,” Ambassador Natividad said.
Prof. Dr. Denise Margaret Matias is professor in Ecosystem-based transformation management in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development Department of Forest and Environment and is one of only six recipients of the 2024 Planet Earth Awards of the Alliance of World Scientists
Sheree Domingo received the Grimmelshausen-Förderpreis für Literatur in 2021, the Berthold Leibinger Foundation Comic Book Prize in 2022, and is the winner of the International Lake Constance Conference’s award in the comic category in 2023.
Emanuel John “EJ” Villarin, in 2023, won the auditions and became one of the youngest concertmasters in Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) history. He was the second AYO concertmaster from the Philippines since 1995
