23 June 2014 – Philippine Consul General Julius Caesar A. Flores led the Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen and other guests in formal rites to commemorate and celebrate the 116th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence.
Fujian Provincial Foreign Affairs Office Deputy Director General Hu Changchun and Xiamen Municipal Vice Mayor Zhang Canmin were the evening’s guests of honor. Both officials delivered remarks on behalf of the local governments, congratulating the Philippines on its 116th year of nationhood, as well as highlighting the exchanges between Fujian, Xiamen and the Consulate General.
The traditional formal National Day Reception was organized by the Consulate General and was held in the evening of June 11 at Ballroom 2 of the Crowne Plaza Paragon Xiamen Hotel.
Among the 180 guests that gathered for the special occasion included local Chinese government officials, Filipino community leaders, other members of the Xiamen expatriate community, Filipino and Chinese businessmen and other friends of the Consulate General from the consular corps, academe, media, including private sector partners who have supported the Consulate General and its projects through the years.
In his toast remarks for the evening, Consul General Flores highlighted the robust ties between the Philippines and Fujian, as well as current efforts of the Consulate General to further boost exchanges in culture, trade and investments, as well as promote greater understanding of the Philippines in China.
Hearkening to theme of the Kalayaan 2014 celebration, “Pagsunod sa Yapak ng mga Dakilang Pilipino Tungo sa Malawakan at Permanenteng Pagbabago”, the Consul General also called on all Filipinos to contribute to the building of a brighter future for the Philippines by emulating the examples of great Filipino patriots and becoming modern-day heroes in their own right.
The performances by the Manila-Xiamen International School Performing Troupe, composed of Filipino faculty members who rendered traditional ooFilipino dances and two pop song numbers made the event even more special.
As part of the Consulate General’s thrust to promote the Philippines as a versatile tourism destination, a 44-minute audio-video presentation on Philippine tourism provided by the Department of Tourism (DOT) was shown prior to the reception.
The photo exhibit entitled “Colors of Freedom: The Sun and Stars: Stories behind the Philippine Flag” was installed at the entrance of the reception venue for to add more substance and perspective to the historic events being commemorated that evening.
In the interest of further promoting Philippine products, gift bags containing tourism promotion materials, as well as Philippine food products from Oishi, Dole and Profood were given away to guests. END.