16 July 2015 - The Philippine Consulate General in Sydney joined the Filipino community in New South Wales (NSW) in commemorating the 117th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence with a total of 16 activities throughout June and the first week of July. The activities, with the theme,“Tagumpay sa Pagbabagong Nasimulan, Abot-Kamay Na Ng Bayan,” included a Philippine National Day Ball, flag-raising ceremonies, cultural programs and Independence Day Dinners organised by Filipino community groups, with several activities in cooperation with local city councils
On June 06, a flag-raising ceremony and cultural program held in Bathurst, 203 kilometers west of Sydney, was attended by Philippine Consul General Anne Jalando-on Louis. The activities were co-organized by the Bathurst Regional Council headed by Mayor Gary Rush, the Bathurst Lions Club, and the Filipiniana Friends Bathurst and Central West headed by Ms. Nenita Weekes. NSW Minister for Local Government Paul Toole also graced the occasion.
The next day, a team from the Consulate General led by Consul General Louis joined the Filipino community in Moree, 606 kilometres from Sydney, during their Philippine Independence Day celebration. The event was co-organized by Fr. Paul Aguilar, Fr. Roel Llave and Fr. Vic Ignacio, with the members of the Filipino community in Moree and neighboring areas in the Armidale region. In conjunction with the Independence Day celebration, a 5-member team comprising Mr. Jacinto Morales, Ms. Ma. Regina Queenie Perol, Mr. Russell Villegas, Mr. Joeban Sayong and Mr. Jessie Llaneta conducted a consular outreach mission in Moree. Prior to the cultural program in the evening, a mass was held at the St. Francis Xavier’s Catholic Church in Moree with Fr. Paul Aguilar as the main celebrant. The cultural program that followed the mass was emceed by Fr. Llave and Ms. Esther Chapman. Among the guests who enjoyed the program and Filipino cuisine was State Member of Parliament Adam Marshall.
On June 08, Consul General Louis, Fil-Oz Golf Club President Ric de Vera and PAL Country Manager Ian Robinson handed out the trophies to the winners of the 20th Kalayaan Golf Cup tournament held at the Macquarie Links International Golf Club. Fijian golfer Daven Naidu bested 117 international participants and claimed the Champion’s Trophy at the event.
On June 12, the Philippine National Day Ball 2015 organised by the NSW Filipino community umbrella organization, Philippine Community Council of NSW (PCC-NSW) was held at the Grand Pavilion, Rosehill Gardens in Rosehill NSW. Congratulatory messages were delivered by Federal Member for Macquarie Louise Markus on behalf of Prime Minister Tony Abbott and NSW Minister for Ageing and Multiculturalism John Ajaka on behalf of NSW Premier Mike Baird. Other Australian officials present were Federal Member of Parliament Michelle Rowland, Member for Auburn and State Leader of the Opposition Luke Foley, Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) Greg Donnelly, State Members of Parliament Geoff Lee, Kevin Connolly, Prue Car, Julia Finn, Edmond Atalla and Hugh McDermott, and Blacktown City Councillors Jess Diaz, Jacqueline Donaldson, Isabella White, and Parramatta City Councillor James Shaw. Patriotic songs as well as Filipino ethnic and traditional dances from different regions of the Philippines received much applause during the program.
The next day, Consul General Louis and Blacktown City Mayor Stephen Bali led the flag-raising ceremony at the Blacktown City Village Green organized by the Australia Philippines Services League (APSL) headed by Col. Chris Pilao (Ret.). Also present at the event were Consul Angeles and Blacktown City Councillor Jacqueline Donaldson. The program featured a talk by Dr. Zenaida Sicat Edwards, Filipino-Australian architectural historian and Director of the UN Peace Program for the UN Association of Australia. The program also included performances by the Sydney Sonata Singers, the AGAPI Cultural Dancers, the Westmead Cultural Dancers and the Banag-Banag Cultural Dancers. Later that evening, the APSL held its 117th Philippine Independence Dinner Dance at the Rooty Hill RSL with Consul General Louis as guest speaker.
Consul Angeles also attended the Freedom Ball Gala Dinner and Dance of the Alliance of Philippine Community Organizations, Inc. (APCO) led by its President, Mr. Ruben Amores, at the Dooley’s Lidcombe Catholic Club in Lidcombe, NSW. Federal Member for Werowra Philip Ruddock represented PM Tony Abbott at the event. Also present were Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) Greg Donnelly and Member for Prospect Hugh McDermott. The program highlighted a fashion parade of the traditional and modern terno created by Filipino-Australian couturier Claudio J. Lisao, musical performances by Ms. Linda Trinidad, Ms. Roanne Monte, Ms. Sidney Perez, Mr. Marcus Rivera, and the Re-Groove duo, and dances by the Mindanao Ethnographic Dance Group and the VSD Dancers.
Consul General Louis and Gosford City Mayor Lawrie McKinna led the flag-raising ceremony at the Gosford City Council Forecourt on June 18 organized jointly with the Filipino community in Gosford led by Marivic King. NSW Member for Gosford Kathy Smith and NSW Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch and Deputy Mayor Bob Ward also attended the event. The members of the Filipino community in Gosford performed several Filipino dances to the delight of the guests.
On June 20, Consul Angeles and Parramatta Mayor Scott Lloyd led the flag ceremony at the Parramatta City Council Auditorium co-organized by the Parramatta City Council with Banag-Banag Inc. and attended by special guests headed by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Cebu Sister City Commission Chairman Antonio Cuenco. The event provided an opportunity for the cities of Cebu and Parramatta to revitalize their sister-city relationship which began 18 years ago. Banag-Banag Inc., under the leadership of its President, Marissa Dionson-Bala, organized the event which featured an audio visual presentation written by Dr Marvel Tabucanon paying tribute to heroines of the Philippine Revolution. Philippine dances were also performed by the Banag-Banag Dancers, the Banag-Banag Youth Dancers, Espritz in Motion, and Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Rogers. Philippine Tourism Attaché Consuelo Jones delivered the vote of thanks and acknowledged the efforts of the organizers in ensuring the success of the event.
On the same day, Consul General Louis graced the flag raising ceremony at the Campbelltown City Council grounds which was also attended by Federal Member of Parliament Chris Hayes, and State Members of Parliament Greg Warren and Anoulack Chanthivoung, who represented Campbelltown City Council Mayor Paul Lake. The Campbelltown Regional Filipino Community Council (CRFCC) headed by its President Lourdes Kaiser and the Campbelltown City Council co-organised the event in coordination with the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney.
On June 26, Consul Angeles attended the Independence Day Ball 2015 organized by the Australian Philippine Association of Illawarra headed by its President, Cora Ibasco and held at the Portofino Function Centre in Wollongong, 84 kilometers from Sydney. The association has been in existence and has been holding the Independence Day Ball for 35 years.
The next day, Consul General Louis, Penrith City Mayor Ross Fowler and Member for Londonberry Prue Car led the flag raising ceremony at the St. Mary’s Cultural and Community Precinct in St. Mary’s, NSW, co-organised by the Penrith City Council with the Philippine Language and Cultural Association (PLCAA) led by its President, Dr. Alexis Leones. The PLCAA runs a Filipino language school in Penrith.
The 2015 celebration of Philippine independence in NSW was capped by a flag-raising and cultural program held at the Dubbo City Council organized by the Orana Region Filipino Australian Association (ORFAA) in coordination with the Dubbo City Council on July 04. The flag-raising ceremony was led by Consul General Louis and Dubbo City Mayor Matthew Dickerson. In the evening of the same day, an Independence Day Dinner was organized by the Association at the Dubbo Showground Expo Centre, which was attended by Filipino and Australian guests, including Dubbo Deputy Mayor Ben Shields.
Consul General Louis thanked the local city councils for their support and commended the respective Filipino community organizations for ensuring that the Philippine Independence Day is celebrated each year with great honor and solemnity.
Among the Filipino community organizations that also organized commemorative activities for the 117th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence were the Filipino Catholic Organization of Sydney (FILCOS) Bankstown on June 07, the Filipino Community Organization of Northern Rivers on June 20, the Sydney Australian Filipino Seniors Inc. (SAFSI) on June 21, and the Australian Mindanao Multicultural Communities (AusMin) and the Australian Visayan Multicultural Communities (AusVis) on June 27. END