GOVPH

17 June 2014 - The Philippine Consulate General in Manado, together with high officials, businessmen, the Filipino community and friends commemorated the 116^th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 09.

In the morning, the Consulate General’s officers and staff, including officers from the Philippine Liaison Office in Manado, and together with the Filipino community in Manado and Bitung Cities, held a traditional flag-raising ceremony at the Consulate grounds, followed by a simple “Filipino style” breakfast.

In the evening, the Consulate General hosted a cocktail reception at the Sintesa Peninsula Hotel, Manado. North Sulawesi Governor Dr. Sinyo H. Sarundajang was the guest of honor. Among the guests were members of the Filipino community, high ranking local government officials of North Sulawesi, including those from Manado and Bitung Cities, the South Minahasa Regency, Talaud and Sangihe Regencies, and leading members of the Indonesian business sector.

Philippine Consul General in Manado Jose D.R. Burgos delivered toast remarks highlighting the long-term and constructive relationship between Southern Mindanao and North Sulawesi, particularly the continuing efforts made for the various air and sea inter-connectivity projects by the two governments and the private sector, as well as the proposed upgrading of Bitung Port as an Entry/Gateway port in Eastern Indonesia, as befitting the Independence Day theme, “Following in the footsteps of great Filipinos towards permanent and widespread change”.

Moreover, Consul General Burgos highlighted the emerging developments towards overcoming the impediments to better bilateral and regional interconnectivity and cooperation, such as the creation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by December 2015, and the improvement of communications, trade and transportation infrastructure between Southern Mindanao and North Sulawesi. Consul General Burgos extolled the Filipino and Indonesia peoples’ courage and will to survive, over the course of the natural disasters that befell both Central Philippines and Mindanao and North Sulawesi on 08 November 2013 and 14 January 2014, respectively.

Governor Sarundajang, delivered brief remarks noting the close relationship between North Sulawesi and Southern Mindanao, specifically the potential for North Sulawesi to act as the gateway for trade and people-to-people exchange between Eastern Indonesia and the Philippines through the start of interconnectivity projects between air and sea. The Governor also underscored the good relations between the two peoples, noting the high number of Indonesians who reside productively in Southern Mindanao, and likewise the active and vibrant Filipino community in North Sulawesi.

Various cultural and audio-visual presentations followed the speech of the Governor. The classic Filipino song “Isang Lahi” was sung a capella, after which a selection of Philippine songs and dances from the Saint Louis University Choir Group were played throughout the event. Moreover, to highlight the shared spirit and friendship between the Philippines and North Sulawesi, a performance group from the Christian University of Indonesia based in Tomohon, North Sulawesi, also performed a selection of traditional Minahasa songs and folk dances, including a rendition of the classic Filipino Song “Dahil sa Iyo” in the Kulintang, and the classic Minahasa dances “Polinaise” and “Katrili” which shares a similar Spanish heritage. In addition, several videos featuring Philippine tourism, economic development, medical tourism and tourist destinations in various provinces in Mindanao were shown prior to and during the cocktail reception for the benefit and information of guests. END