PHL Embassy in Pakistan Commemorates the 119th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Philippine Independence
01 June 2017 ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN – In commemoration of the 119th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Philippine Independence, the Philippine Embassy in Pakistan hosted a reception at the Marriott Hotel, Islamabad on May 24, well ahead of Ramadan.
More than 300 guests representing officials from the host government, diplomatic corps, the business sector, the academe and the Filipino community attended event. The Chief Guest was Minister of State of the Capital Administration and Development Tariq Fazal Chaudry.
In line with this year’s theme, Pagbabagong Sama-Samang Balikatin, Philippine Ambassador to Pakistan Daniel Ramos Espiritu highlighted in his remarks the character of the 1896 Philippine Revolution as a collective national effort involving all provinces, regions, and social classes in the establishment of what later proved to be the first democratic republic in Asia in 1898, a good decade before the republic instituted by Sun Yat-Sen in China and half a century before the rise of the republics of Pakistan and India in South Asia.
More than the political milestone, however, was the significance of the occasion in the social transformation of the indio into the First Filipinos, imbibing a new sense of national identity which now define the people of the country in terms transcending the former loyalties of the tribe, the ethnic group, the region and sectarian religion. Since then, the Republic of the Philippines has matured into a modern, dynamic country integrated into the global community, blessed with democracy and a vibrant economy, generally at peace with itself and the world.
The Ambassador also traced the development of Philippine relations with Pakistan from the establishment of the Philippine Consulate in Karachi in 1950 to its current expansion in political, economic and socio-cultural affairs. He took note of their cooperation in international security and counter-terrorism, trade and investment, inter-faith harmony, inter-cultural relations, and people-to-people exchange. Pakistan now ranks as the Philippines’ 37th largest trading partner and hosts 1,500 Filipino expatriates. The two countries also extend their collaboration in international affairs, where they have often supported each other’s candidacies in UN agencies and multilateral organizations, and in initiatives and positions in international issues of mutual concern.
For his part, the Chief Guest, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudry, touted the friendly relations between the Philippines and Pakistan. Their friendship has been forged by convergence of views on world affairs that seamlessly translated into cooperation and mutual support in the international fora. Minister Chaudry also took the opportunity to request Philippine support for Pakistan’s bid for Full Dialogue Partner status in ASEAN and its candidature to the Human Rights Council for the term 2018-2020. The Minister also assured the Philippines of Pakistan’s support for Philippine candidature to the UN Economic and Social Council for the term 2018-2020.
The formal program ended with the ceremonial cutting of the Philippine independence cake by Ambassador Espiritu, assisted by Minister Chaudry and the ambassadors of the six other ASEAN missions in Pakistan, namely, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand.
The celebration also featured an audio-visual presentation of famous Philippine tourist spots and clips on Philippine hosting of ASEAN meetings.
For more information, visit www.islamabadpe.dfa.gov.ph/ www.isdpe.com.pk or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it./ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. END