23 June 2016 - As part of the celebration of the Philippine Embassy in Lisbon of the 118th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence, the Embassy, in cooperation with the Filipino-Portuguese Association and the Filipino Catholic Community in Portugal held a program and lunch at the Hotel Tryp Lisboa Aeroporto on June 19.
The gathering was attended by around 350 guests, a notable portion of whom are employers, friends, and relatives of Filipinos living in Portugal. The whole day affair started with simultaneous mass of the Catholic and a church service of the Born Again church. The celebration was very well received with warmth and enthusiasm both by Filipino and Portuguese guests. They also partook of the Philippine cuisine lunch served by one of the most successful and thriving Filipino restaurants in Portugal, Kababayan Restaurant.
A part of the program was the conveying of Kalayaan 2016 messages by Foreign Affairs Secretary Jose Rene D. Almendras and President Benigno S. Aquino, III, by Consul General Gines Jaime Ricardo D. Gallaga and Philippine Ambassador to Portugal Philippe J. Lhuillier, respectively.
During the program, Ambassador Lhuillier presented plaques of appreciation for the three major organizations of the Filipino Community in Portugal: the Filipino-Portuguese Association, Filipino Catholic Community, and Born Again Church.
Apart from the presentation of plaques, there were cultural presentations which represented dances from the three major islands of the Philippines. END