PHL Consulate General in Jeddah Celebrates the 119th Anniversary of the Philippine Independence
Consul General Imelda M. Panolong led the Independence Day celebrations of the Consulate General during the flag-raising ceremony on June 11.
20 June 2017 JEDDAH — The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, led by Consul General Imelda M. Panolong and accompanied by the officers and staff of the Consulate including attached agencies and Consulate wards, celebrated the 119th Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence with a flag-raising ceremony on June 11.
The activity started with the singing of the Philippine National Anthem and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Philippine Flag. It was followed by a moment of silence to pray for all the fallen soldiers and the civilians who perished and those who were affected by the conflict in Marawi City.
The Independence Day message of President Rodrigo R. Duterte was read by Consul General Panolong while Consul Rodney Jonas L. Sumague read the message of Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alan Peter S. Cayetano. The messages of Secretary of Labor Silvestro Bello III, and Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez were read by Assistant Labor Attache Rosario Mangahas and Trade & Investment Assistant Evangeline Malli-Pungutan, respectively.
To give more meaning to the event, some of the attendees donned their Mindanao attires to express the Consulate General’s solidarity with Mindanaons in general, and the Maranaos of Lanao del Sur, in particular. It is also a call to both sides of the camp to bring to an end the conflict that has taken the lives of some 300 people and displaced more than 200 thousand men, women, and children during the observation of the holiest month in the Islamic world. The wearing of the Mindanao attires also symbolizes hope for an end of the conflict soon and for Lanao to rise above the ashes as majestically as its beloved Sarimanok.
The Consulate General, in collaboration with the various Filipino community organizations in Jeddah, has organized other special activities with the Philippine community on 30 June 2017 and 01 July 2017, in line with this year’s theme, “Kalayaan 2017: Pagbabagong Sama-samang Balikatin”.
For more information, visit www.pcgjeddah.gov.ph. END
Consul General Panolong (5th from right, first row) with the officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah.