GOVPH

1 July 2013 - The Philippine Embassy in Warsaw held two celebrations to commemorate the 115th anniversary of Philippine Independence, one on June 11 for the members of the diplomatic corps, government officials, media, members of the academe, and national governmental organizaitons; and the other on June 16 for the Filipino community in Poland.

The June 11 event served as a platform to focus on the reform agenda and headways of the Aquino government. In her welcome remarks, Philippine Ambassador Patricia Ann V. Paez stressed that President Benigno S. Aquino proved that “good governance is good economics.” She cited that for the first quarter of 2013, the Philippines posted a GDP growth of 7.8% - the highest in Asia. She also pointed to the investment grade status given to the Philippines by international credit rating agencies, such as Fitch and Standard and Poor’s. Due to these banner achievements and many others, Ambassador Paez said that the Philippines is now hailed as “Asia’s new rising tiger.”

The creation of the Poland-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Sejm (counterpart of the Philippines’ House of Representatives) was also formally announced by Ambassador Paez during the event. The parliamentary group’s president, Polish legislator Honorable Adam Sjenfeld and one of its two vice-presidents, Sejm Deputy Marshal Jerzy Wenderlich also gave their National Day greetings. The other vice-president of the parliamentary group and concurrently the president of the Inter-Parliamentary Group of Women, the Honorable Bozena Szydlowska, also graced the celebration.

The Embassy also harnessed the Independence Day celebration to project a  positive profile for the Philippines, particularly by promoting our as a  prime tourist destination and by showcasing our country’s  rich cultural heritage.

After Ambassador Paez invited the guests to visit the Philippines during her remarks, the video of “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” was shown. This was followed by the debut performance of the Mabuhay Folk Dancers - the newly-created cultural arm of the Philippine Embassy which is composed of volunteers from the Filipino community. They danced the “subli,” “pandanggo sa ilaw,” and the iconic “tinikling” to the delight and awe of the guests.

The Filipino Martial Arts Sporting Club, composed of Polish nationals, also gave an exhibition on the Filipino traditional method of self-defense called “arnis de mano.” The University of Warsaw Collegium Musicum String Quartet gave their renditions of classic Filipino songs, namely, “Ikaw,” “Dahil Sa Iyo,” and “Ang Tangi Kong Pag-ibig.”

The June 16 celebration was a veritable reunion of Filipino families in Poland, some of whom also  their Polish friends to the occasion. The event began at ten o’clock in the morning with the flag-raising ceremony and recitation of the national oath followed by a mass. The messages of President Aquino and Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario were read by Ambassador Paez and Mrs. Elsa Chua, respectively, after which Ambassador Paez gave her brief welcome remarks.

The Mabuhay Folk Dancers also performed during this event and each of its members as well as its choreographer, Mr. Louie Castillo  were given certificates of recognition by Ambassador Paez who cited their patriotism and love of country.

The Filipino Martial Arts Sporting Club also rendered martial arts exhibitions, followed by  Filipino traditional or native games such as “pabitin,” “patintero,” “tumbang preso,” “paluan-palayok,” and “sipa” which adults and children alike thoroughly enjoyed.

A total of 170 guests attended the June 11 celebration held at the Restauracja Belvedere at the Royal Lasienki Park while around 107 guests attended the June 16 event at the Philippine Embassy. END