24 June 2015 - The Philippine Embassy in Ankara celebrated the 117th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence with a diplomatic reception attended by more than 500 guests from the Turkish government, diplomatic missions in Ankara, members of the business sector and members of the Filipino community in Turkey.
A rich cultural program of Filipino dances performed by the members of Filipino communities in Ankara and Istanbul was a highlight for this year’s Independence Day Reception. In order to help raise the profile of Filipino workers in Turkey, and to emphasize their important role in promoting Philippine culture and artistry in Turkey, members of the Filipino community performed 11 dances, including crowd-favorites Sayaw sa Bangko, Maglalatik, Tinikling, Dayang-Dayang and Maguindanao dances in front of an enthusiastic audience.
Consistent with this aim, among the guests were Mr. Marben Christopher Urgino and Ms. Josefina Arquino who are the winners of the Filipino Community contests "The FilCom Noise", which is a singing competition, and "The Golden Woman of the Year”, which is a beauty and talent competition, respectively.
Highlighting the similarities of Filipino and Turkish music and dance, the Embassy invited guests to perform Turkish traditional dances to the beat of Philippine music such as "Karaniwang Tao" by Joey Ayala and "Aumoon" by the Pinikpikan Group.
Guests also gamely performed Philippine dances to the beat of Turkish music titled "Bu Kadar Çankırılı Şaban" and "Çubuklu Yaşar Az Kaşar."
For the finale, the children of Embassy personnel and Filipino community leaders led in dancing to the song “Pinoy Ako” by the band Oranges and Lemons, leading to a spontaneous community dance by the guests. END