01 July 2015 - Philippine Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg and Head of the Philippine Mission to the European Union Victoria S. Bataclan led Philippine Embassy personnel in welcoming around 200 officials from Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union, members of the private sector, the academe and the diplomatic corps to the celebration of the 117th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence held at the auspicious Salle Gothique of the Hotel de Ville in the Grand Place of Brussels, Belgium on June 12.
This marked the first time that the Embassy is holding its Independence Day celebrations at the Hotel de Ville, a masterpiece of Gothic civil architecture in the 15th century.
Michael Cu, the first Filipino who graduated from Belgium’s Royal Conservatory of Music, and Karlene Moreno-Hayworth, a London-based Filipina sopraino, provided outstanding renditions of Sa Kabukiran by Manuel Velez, Quel Guardo il Cavaliere by Gaetano Donizetti, Souvenir de Filipinas & Ano Kaya ang Kapalaran by Francisco Santiago, and Usahay by Juanito Gonzales.
The Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Company, led by its Art Director Ronnie del Barrio entertained the audience with their Cordillera, Buhay sa Nayon, Magandang Pilipinas, Principalia and Hari Raya numbers.
In her speech, the Philippine Ambassador expressed her gratitude to the City of Brussels for allowing a special event to be held in a memorable venue.
The reception also gave an opportunity for the Embassy to campaign for the candidature of Dr. Raul Pangalangan for the International Criminal Court.
Guests were also treated to give-aways from the Department of Agriculture and Department of Tourism. END