JUNE 6 holds a very special significance for Sweden. It commemorates the unification of Sweden as a nation by King Gustav Vasa in 1523 and the ratification of the modern Constitution in 1809, which established a separation of powers between government and parliament.

Traditionally, National Day is celebrated with parades, marching bands and local folk band performances in Sweden. In its embassies and consular offices abroad, like in the Philippines, the Ambassador hosts receptions for dignitaries, the media, business and other friends with a program to boot.

Due to the pandemic the last three years, it was partially held online, and in 2022, with a smaller crowd of around 100. This year, the celebration at Shangri-La The Fort in BGC, Taguig City is bigger.

“We hold events always with a purpose. This year, the focus is on strengthening further the green and sustainable trade relations between the Philippines and Sweden,” Swedish Ambassador to the Philippines Her Excellency Annika Thunborg said.

“I am honored that Secretary Toni Loyzaga of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro of the Department of Foreign Affairs will join me as speakers in our celebration,” she added.

Ambassador Thunborg stressed that 2023 is a special year for Sweden since “we celebrate 500 years as a unified nation.”

It is also special since Sweden holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the first half of the year.

“In these challenging times, with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, it is of great importance that we focus on security and unity, democratic values and the rule of law, and on socio-economic development that is green and inclusive, and that builds sustainably and resiliently for future generations. These priorities also echo the priorities of the Philippines,” she said.

Sweden has many things to offer to the Philippines as a pioneer in the use of digitalization as part of society, with its unparalleled innovative smart and green technologies.

Sustainable fashion, energy

Part of the celebrations in Manila is a forum where sustainable energy is discussed between Swedish companies and Filipino stakeholders with Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla as keynote speaker.

At the event, Swedish company H&M is going to provide a textile recycling bin for clothes and textiles of any brand for recycling in exchange for two H&M discount coupons.

Thunborg sees an increase in the number of Swedish companies which operate in the Philippines in addition to H&M — SAAB, Scania Trucks and Buses, Transcom, Atlas Copco, Volvo Cars, Volvo Buses, Trucks and Construction Equipment, Electrolux, Swedish Match, Ericsson, Retail Associates, Hitachi Energy, ABB, SKF, IKEA and Tetra Pak among others — as the two countries celebrate the 76th year of diplomatic relations this year.

Swedish brands adorn Filipino lifestyle

Other world-renowned brands such as Minecraft, Candy Crush and Spotify are part of Filipino everyday lives.

Until this day, those from the ’70s up to the ’80s still have nostalgic memories of ABBA and their songs, as “Dancing Queen,” “Chiquitita,” and “I Have A Dream” among many others remain as favorite videoke or karaoke pieces until now.

Not long ago, a movie and musical inspired by “Mamma Mia” was made, updating what the parents of the millennials and GenZs enjoyed during their time.

In the field of academe and social activism, Sweden has produced many noteworthy individuals. A person of note is businessman and inventor Alfred Nobel (1833-1894), who founded the Nobel Prizes.

Whether for Peace or achievement in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Economy and Literature, the Sweden-originated recognition is the most sought-after among the many honors bestowed on mankind.

In this millennial and GenZ age, Swedish youth environmental activist Greta Thunberg’s name reverberates across the globe, and the Philippines is one country familiar with her advocacy.

In popular music, Sweden is the third largest exporter (after the US and the UK) and the most successful country in the Eurovision Song Contest (together with Ireland) with seven victories, the latest is Loreen this year.

Swedish-Filipino rapper Newkid (Jhun Alexander Ferrer) has been making waves all over Europe with millions of his records sold worldwide. Another Swedish celebrity of Filipino descent is Liam Cacatian Thomassen, also known as Liamoo, who won the 12th season of “Swedish Idol” series.

Transportation and academic sector

Thunborg considers the sustainable transportation sector as one that has much potential in the Swedish-Philippine collaboration, along with health and pharmaceuticals.

“Cities and urban areas need high quality, comfortable and environmentally-friendly public transport. This helps decrease decongestion, pollution and the time commuters spend in traffic. High quality preventive and primary care health care systems help to keep people healthy and prevent serious disease. We are pleased to work with the Philippines to help achieve this,” the Ambassador said.

Other sectors of interest include infrastructure such as railways and bridges, telecommunications, waste management, energy, retail, design and appliances, sustainable mining and energy-efficient industrial solutions.

With its technological advancement, Sweden has one of the most advanced educational systems in the world where Filipinos can gain skills or upskill their knowledge in the field of technology as well as sustainable business leadership or even disaster risk management.

Over 2,000 Filipinos — with alumni associations in the country — have taken academic and tech-voc courses in Sweden. Many more have been trained by Swedish companies in the Philippines, the largest employer being the BPO Transcom with 14,000 employees in four cities.

Swedish companies are also known for their active Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) work and Sweden is viewed as a pioneer within the field. In fact, Sweden was declared as the world’s most sustainable nation in RobecoSAM’s 2019 Country Sustainability Ranking, which ranks

65 countries based on environmental, social and governance indicators.

Annika Thunborg’s main thrust as ambassador

Getting assigned to the Philippines after serving as Sweden’s Ambassador to Mexico, Annika Thunborg expressed excitement upon arrival in Manila in September 2021.

“I will continue to promote closer and stronger bilateral relations between our nations including in the areas of exports and investment, sustainable solutions and innovation, and values such as human rights, gender equality, and the rule of law,” she said.

In a sit-down interview with The Manila Times at her residence in Forbes Park, Makati City, Thunborg renewed her commitment to further strengthen the relations between the Swede and Filipino peoples.

She said that Filipinos are the nicest people she has ever met. Her Filipino favorite food is lumpia, with pancit coming in next. Whatever fruits in season make up part of her and husband’s diet but mentioned lanzones, mangosteen, mango, pomelo, starapple, pineapple and

guyabano as particularly delicious.

She has also worked with multilateral issues in Geneva, Vienna, and New York where she forged close ties with colleagues from the Philippines. All told, she is used to being in a multi-racial, multinational environment.

Thunborg is just the second Swedish ambassador assigned in the country since the Embassy reopened in 2016. She has gone around the Philippines since she assumed post, seeing both the progress in the countryside and after-disaster situations brought about by typhoons, floods, drought, earthquakes and man-made catastrophes.

Royalty on National Day

In 2014, Swedish King Carl 16th Gustaf visited the Philippines for a Boy Scouts event. It was the first visit by a Swedish monarch and head of state since bilateral relations were established between the two countries in 1947, two years after World War 2.

With the advent of social media there is always interest in monarch news, and there are those who wonder if there is going to be another visit from a Swedish royalty soon.

“What I can say is that since President Marcos assumed leadership, we have seen an increasingly strong interest in enhancing the bilateral relationship between our nations,” the Ambassador said.

“The latest testament to this was the visit by Minister for Trade Johan Forssell to Manila in mid-May. This trend will continue with the great potential we see in building our joint partnership in areas such as security and defense, the international rules-based order, the Build Better More-program, and the green transition.”

One part of the National Day celebration is to hoist light blue and bright yellow balloons, the colors of Sweden’s national flag – which stemmed from the shield that features on the national coat of arms (three golden crowns on a blue background) and the golden cross on the “Great National Coat of Arms.”

Blue and yellow have been used as Swedish colors at least since Magnus III’s royal coat of arms of 1275.