Filipinos celebrate Philippine Independence Day in the Land of Fire, Ice
Philippine Ambassador to Norway Jocelyn Batoon-Garcia together with the Filipino community in Reykjavik during the celebration of the 121st Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence on 16 June 2019. (Oslo PE photo)
REYKJAVIK 08 July 2019 – A surprisingly sunny day in Reykjavik greeted the Filipino community as they commemorated the 121st Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence on 16 June 2019.
After a Catholic Mass, Filipinos gathered at the parish hall of the Christ the King Cathedral, also known as Landakotskirkja, to have a salo-salo of Filipino food and desserts.
Ambassador to Norway Jocelyn Batoon-Garcia expressed appreciation for the Filipinos who joined the celebration and delivered the Independence Day message of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr.
During the open forum, Ambassador Batoon-Garcia updated the Filipino community on the positive developments in the Philippines including the recent passage of laws on universal healthcare and free tuition and exemption from other fees in state universities and colleges.
The Ambassador also informed the Filipinos on improvements in the consular services of the Embassy and encouraged them to send their queries via different channels including through phone, email, and the Embassy’s website and Facebook account.
Filipinos are considered as the biggest group of Asian immigrants in Iceland. As published by Statistics Iceland in December 2018, there has been an increasing number of immigrants through the years in Iceland, with foreign nationals coming mostly from Poland, followed by Lithuania and the Philippines. END
Ambassador Batoon-Garcia during the open forum. (Oslo PE photo)
Ambassador Batoon-Garcia discusses with Fr. Patrick Breen and Fr. Jakob Rolland the efforts of the Philippine Embassy in Oslo to provide services to the Filipinos in Iceland. (Oslo PE photo)
Ambassador Batoon-Garcia with Priscilla Zanoria who co-organized the event with the Embassy. (Oslo PE photo)
For more information, visit https://www.oslope.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinNorway/.