AlumniFrance homecoming to mark Treaty of Friendship between PHL and France

The AlumniFrance Homecoming Party will be held on June 26, 6:30 p.m. at the Alliance française de Manille (209 N. Garcia St., (formerly Reposo) Bel-Air II, Makati City). This event is open to all Filipinos who have pursued academic studies in France. 

 

French Ambassador Gilles Garachon, guest speaker Mr. Alex Magno of the University of the Philippines, French foreign trade advisors, members of the French Chamber of Commerce and notable Filipino alumni will also be present. The event is a golden opportunity to network with potential employers and partners, as well as to strengthen and celebrate the relations between the Philippines and France.

 

June 26 likewise marks the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship by then Vice-President and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Elpidio Quirino and French Foreign Minister Georges Bidault in 1947. Franco-Philippine relations have strengthened in the past year as evidenced by the visit of French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault to Manila and Cebu in October 2012 and Philippine Vice-President Jejomar Binay to Paris last April.

 

There is a rapidly growing community of Filipinos studying in France. With more than 300 in 2012, the number of Filipinos in the French education system increased by 90 percent in the past four years and shows no signs of slowing down. The majority of these students go to France to supplement their studies at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the fields of business, science & engineering, and the social sciences, or to pursue internships (mostly in the culinary arts). 

 

Moreover, there are 60 partnership agreements between leading French and Filipino institutions in the domains of business, sciences, engineering, social sciences, and humanities, which facilitate the exchange of researchers and information. Given the volume of inquiries that the Campus France office in Manila (the French government agency tasked with the promotion of education in France) receives, it’s safe to say that pursuing higher education in France is an endeavour more and more Filipinos are interested in.

 

The term “AlumniFrance” comes from the AlumniFrance website, a directory of students and professionals who have studied in France. It is meant to be used by French-affiliated companies in the Philippines for recruitment. Similar to the social network LinkedIn, creating an account is free, and allows users to post their personal profiles, as well as view the profiles of other members. There are currently more than 1000 individuals registered in the database.

 

The AlumniFrance Homecoming Party is organized by the Embassy of France to the Philippines, Campus France de Manille, the French Foreign Trade Advisors, the French Chamber of Commerce, Alliance française de Manille, which will host the event. This event is made possible through the generous support of the sponsors: Lafarge Philippines, Schneider Electric, DataOne, Le Cellier, Total, EcoGlobal, Sanofi, Sofitel, and Pamora Farm.

 

For more information, send us an email at culturel.ambafrance.manille@gmail.com or find us on Facebook.

Press release from the Embassy of France