PH Embassy in Stockholm Hosts Diplomatic Reception in Commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence

PH Embassy hosts diplomatic reception in commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence (Stockholm PE photo)

STOCKHOLM, 16 June 2023 – The Philippine Embassy in Stockholm, under the leadership of Philippine Ambassador to Sweden Maria Lumen B. Isleta, commemorated the 125th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence with a diplomatic reception held on 16 May 2023 at the Embassy Chancery.

In her welcome remarks, Ambassador Isleta highlighted the strong bilateral partnership between the Philippines and Sweden, including the recent conduct of the 5th bilateral Political Consultations, which allowed discussions on a wide range of topics spanning the political, economic, and social dimensions of Philippines-Sweden relations.

She also expounded on the theme of this year’s Philippine Independence Day celebration - “Kalayaan. Kinabukasan. Kasaysayan”, which translates to “Freedom. Future. History. - and how these keywords are relevant to the values held dear by all Filipinos.

Savory dishes and desserts that showcased unique and delectable Philippine cuisine were served to the invited guests who enjoyed the fare.  Some of the delicacies showcased include lechon liempo, pork barbecue, pancit, chicken inasal, ensaymada, ube cassava, and mango-creme cake formed part of the buffet - all of which were prepared by Chef Elle Philipps, owner of Filipino food bistro Kanto STHLM and catering company Elle’s Kusina.

The reception was made even more special by the performance of The Song Weavers Philippines, a group of musically talented and experienced choir singers trained by the Madrigal Singers. The group entertained the crowd with their renditions of “Pilipinas Kong Mahal”, “Paraiso”, “Och kungfrun hon går i ringen (a Swedish traditional song)”, “Comme D’Habitude”, “Take A Chance on Me (by Abba)”, “Da Coconut Nut”, among others.

The Song Weavers Philippines are now on their 1st European Goodwill Concert Tour. They are slated to represent the Philippines at the 45th Venezia in Coro on 11 June 2023 in Venice, Italy after having successfully served as Philippine representatives to the Arirang Multicultural Festival in South Korea on 23 October 2022.

Some 100 guests graced the occasion, including members of the diplomatic corps, Swedish Government officials, business executives, and Filipino Community leaders. END.

Delectable Filipino dishes and desserts prepared by Elle’s Kusina (Stockholm PE photo)

Embassy officials pose with members of the Song Weavers Philippines (Stockholm PE photo)

Members of the diplomatic corps are enthralled by the performance of the Song Weavers Philippines (top left photo). Among the guests were the Ambassadors from Morocco, Mongolia, Japan, UAE, Argentina, S. Arabia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Egypt, US, Japan,  Foreign Ministry Chief of Protocol Ambassador Maria Christina Lundquist,  and the former Swedish Ambassador to the Philippines Ambassador Harald Fries. (Stockholm PE photo)

For more information, https://stockholmpe.dfa.gov.ph/.