The Bayanihan for Philippines-Poland@50 Gives a Dazzling Performance for the June 12 Diplomatic Reception Hosted by the PH Embassy in Warsaw

WARSAW 04 July 2024 – The Philippine Embassy in Warsaw hosted a Cultural Performance and Diplomatic Reception in the evening of 12 June 2024 at the Filharmonia Narodowa in Warsaw to celebrate the 126th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine independence. This special celebration, which featured The Bayanihan, the National Dance Company of the Philippines, was also part of the year-long commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Philippines-Poland relations, which commenced on 21 September 2023

The event was attended by at least 350 guests including Polish government officials, Ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps, representatives from the business sector, educational and cultural institutions, and the Filipino community in Poland. The Guest of Honor for the evening was Minister Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

In her Message, Philippine Ambassador to Poland Leah M. Basinang-Ruiz expressed appreciation for the event’s corporate sponsors, without whose support the project would not have materialized: “The Bayanihan takes its name from an ancient Filipino tradition which means working together, including carrying a huge burden together, for a common good. Indeed, I cannot think of a more appropriate word to capture the essence of tonight’s event.”

Ambassador Ruiz also drew attention to the deepening ties between the Philippines and Poland, driven by shared values in democracy, the rule of law, and advocacy for the rules-based international order that serve as anchors of regional and international peace and stability: “We are living in very precarious times, and we cannot emphasize enough the value of investing in partnerships with like-minded countries in pursuit of common goals. Poland is one such partner here in Europe.”  She added that “the Philippines has taken on a huge role to help shape a rules-based order in its region, and it is in this very spirit of bayanihan that the Philippines is now calling on the global community of nations to uphold the rule of law in international relations.”

In his Message, Secretary of State Mr. Bartoszewski also highlighted the positive developments in Philippines-Poland relations, and stressed that Poland is committed to take relations to an even higher level, including through high-level official visits later this year.

The Bayanihan delivered a 45-minute performance that beautifully showcased the complexity and diversity of Philippine culture through the art of dance. The repertoire provided glimpses of different parts of the Philippine archipelago and of different periods in Philippine history: ancient rituals from the highlands; traces of the Spanish colonial period; Arabian and Indo-Malayan influences in Muslim Mindanao; and the warmth and playfulness that can be found in the Philippine countryside.

The Bayanihan performance was very much appreciated and warmly applauded and was capped by their rendition of a popular Polish folk song “Kukułeczka kuka”, which especially delighted the Polish members of the audience. 

The visit of Bayanihan to Warsaw was made possible through the sponsorship of the following companies that have a presence in the Philippines and Poland: Baltic Container Terminal in Gdynia (BCT), ISOC Group, Polskie Zakłady Lotnizce in Mielec (PZL), Pietrucha Group, and Turkish Airlines.

The Embassy also received valuable support from the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of Cultural Diplomacy (DFA-OCD), the Philippines’ National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland through the Polish Embassy in Manila. END

For more information, visit https://www.warsawpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.facebook.com/PHLinPoland/.