June 28, 2010

Farewell Siggi, Welcome Jules

The outgoing and incoming FNF Philippines Resident Representatives Mr. Siegfried Herzog (left) and Mr. Jules Maaten (right)

Senator Franklin Drilon thanked him for his steadfast support during the critical times of the Liberal Party in 2006. Secretary Butch Abad commended him for his intelligent analysis of Philippine political events. Senator MAR Roxas, in a video message, acknowledged his contributions to forwarding democracy and expressed his gratitude as a friend.

At a farewell reception on 28 June 2010, these and many more endearing messages sent off Siegfried Herzog who served as Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF) Philippine Office’s Resident Representative from September 2006 to May 2010. Siggi, as he is fondly called by colleagues and friends was promoted as Regional Director for South Asia where he will be based in New Delhi, India.

Siggi is well regarded for his scholarly views in politics as well as in economics. Recently, he was quoted in newspapers for his analysis of the Philippine situation where he attributed the death of Former President Cory Aquino and the election of Jejomar Binay to the theory of the Black Swan. He explained that these two events were totally unforeseen, but had high impact. Siggi also worked in popularizing the Economic Freedom of the World (EFW) report that is becoming a standard reference material on economic indexes.

The activity on 28 June welcomed Jules Maaten as new Resident Representative of FNF Philippines as well. Jules was a member of the European Union (EU) parliament from 1999 to 2009. He became a leading MEP on environmental as well as public health issues. He prioritized consumer, economic, and monetary affairs, and he was active on international issues such as EU-Asia relations, human rights, children's rights, fighting human trafficking, internet freedom and democracy.

Jules has worked with several members of the Liberal Party when he was an MEP, and also dating back to when he was President of the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) and Secretary-General of Liberal International (LI). In welcoming Jules, Chito Gascon, Managing Trustee of the National Institute for Policy Studies (NIPS), said that he was confident of a stronger and more fruitful partnership between FNF and NIPS.

Dr. Rainer Adam, Southeast and East Regional Director, conveyed that Siggi will be dearly missed, yet he was proud to have Jules to head the Philippine Office under a Liberal President.

See the event Photo Gallery.