24 June 2015 - Over 200 Filipinos across southern Africa gathered at the Philippine Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa on June to celebrate the 117th year of Philippine Independence. The day-long family affair was marked by great fun, camaraderie and a celebration of Filipino food of culture.
Led by Philippine Ambassador to South Africa Joseph Gerard B. Angeles and his wife, Atty. Cecilia Angeles, the Embassy personnel and their families, together with the Filipino community, started the day by raising the Philippine national flag and singing the national anthem, followed by a Sunday Mass.
In his welcome message, Ambassador Angeles reminded the Filipino community that the Filipinos were born a free people, and that, before we were colonized, our ancestors already achieved great things by freely working together as a community. He further stated that we were always self-reliant and were never dependent. As such, our heroes, who secured our independence from Spain, merely preserved the freedom that our peoples have enjoyed since time immemorial. In this present time, Ambassador Angeles called on the Filipino community to continue what our forefathers did – to be proud of our country and heritage, to never forget the Philippines and to strive to contribute to the development and achievements of the country willingly.
Filipinos from the neighboring countries of Botswana and Mozambique and from all over South Africa, including those from the provinces of the Eastern Cape, North West, Gauteng, Limpopo, Kwazulu Natal, Mpumalanga, Free State, and the North West happily journeyed to the Embassy to join in the festivities.
To liven up the celebration, the Filipino communities from Mozambique and those from the South African provinces of Kwazulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Gauteng prepared various folk dance numbers such tandingan, pakiring and bulaklak. The first two dances are traditional dances from Basilan and was performed by a Basilan-native while bulaklak is a Filipino flower dance commonly performed across the country. Children of the Embassy personnel also danced the maglalatik, a popular and rhythmic Filipino dance where the dancers use coconut-shell halves to produce sounds in time with the music’s fast drumbeat.
The communities’ children also had an opportunity to experience Filipino games as the Embassy prepared games of “pabitin” and a version of “pukpok-palayok”. To make the event more special, the Embassy served traditional Filipino dishes, with two lechons roasting on location in the morning making the day’s festivities reminiscent of home. END