08 July 2014 - The Philippine Embassy in Madrid joined the Filipino community in celebrating its annual Barrio Fiesta on June 29 at the Colegio de Nuestra Señora de la Consolación in Madrid.
In celebration of the 116th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence and the 12th Philippines-Spain Friendship Day, this year´s Barrio Fiesta 2014 used the official theme “Kalayaan 2014: Pagsunod sa Yapak ng mga Dakilang Pilipino, Tungo sa Malawakan at Permanenteng Pagbabago.”
The day-long event began in the morning with the inaugural ribbon-cutting ceremony and the traditional parade of participating Filipino organizations in Spain. It was subsequently followed by the ecumenical prayers from various religious groups based in Madrid.
The program proper began with the reading of the messages of President Benigno S. Aquino, Jr., Vice-President Jejomar Binay, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. del Rosario, and Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz by led by the Philippine Ambassador to Spain Carlos C. Salinas and Embassy officials.
In his message, Ambassador Salinas congratulated the Filipino community for organizing the Barrio Fiesta. He emphasized that the resiliency of the Filipino spirit could weather the challenges in life overseas and in the Philippines.
The performances included a Kali Arnis demonstration, the presentation of Mr. and Mr. Barrio Fiesta contestants and winners, Filipino songs, cultural dances, and traditional Filipino games.
Aside from the showcase of cultural presentations, Globe Telecom as the major sponsor and with other participating companies, raffled off cash and gift prizes, including 15 roundtrip airline tickets to the Philippines. The program culminated with the much awaited performance of Filipino actor Mr. Jericho Rosales, who starred in the recently concluded teleserye, The Legal Wife, courtesy of The Filipino Channel (TFC) of ABS-CBN. END