04 November 2015 – Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos D. Sorreta received at the Philippine Embassy on October 31, Ms. Natalie Sabelnik, President of the Congress of Russian-Americans and Dr. Tatiana Tabolina, Head Researcher of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology at the prestigious Russian Academy of Sciences.
The meeting was held to discuss joint-initiatives that will increase awareness of the 6,000 Russians that lived in Tubabao Island, Samar from 1949 to 1951 before being resettled to other countries such as the United States and Australia.
Ms. Sabelnik was three years old when she boarded the last ship that left the island for San Francisco 65 years ago. Dr. Tabolina is a leading authority on the history of Russian compatriots abroad. The two are headed to the Philippines to take part in the celebrations for the 125th anniversary of President Elpidio Quirino under whose administration the Russians were welcomed to the Philippines.
They presented Ambassador Sorreta with copies of “Relics of the Russian Expatriate Community” and “Cossacks of the Expatriate Community”, books written by Dr. Tabolina that feature sections on Russians in Tubabao.
The group agreed to cooperate on various activities in line with the 40th Anniversary of Philippines-Russia Diplomatic Relations in 2016. END
