15 March 2017 SYDNEY — The Philippines participated in the United Nations International Mother Language Day celebrations on February 19 spearheaded by the Blacktown City Libraries in New South Wales.

Consul Marford Angeles and Cultural Officer Rachel Calisin of the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney joined Ms. Nerissa Revesz, one of the Filipino language teachers at the Saturday School of Community Languages at Bankstown Girls High School in Bankstown City and several members of the Filipino community in NSW in taking part in the celebrations. Blacktown City Libraries, the organizer of the event, is headed by Mr. Laurence McDonnell, Manager, Library Services, Blacktown City Council.

During the celebrations, Ms. Revesz and her fellow Filipino language teacher, Ms. Albina Battung, presented an overview of the Filipino language program at the Bankstown Girls High School under the Saturday School of Community Languages of the NSW Public Schools. Ms. Revesz reported that her school in Bankstown produced the 2015 topnotcher, Mr. Jared Hermogenes, for Filipino language continuers in the Higher School Certificate (HSC).

The presentation on the Filipino language program was followed by a performance by Filipino group “Yapak” of the songs “Malaya” and “Himig ng Pag-ibig”, as popularized by the famed Filipino folk group, Asin. The group used Philippine traditional musical instruments in their performance. Various communities, such as the Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Chinese, and other communities in NSW, made similar presentations showcasing their mother language and culture.

Consul Angeles congratulated Ms. Revesz and Ms. Battung on the success of the Filipino language program and informed them that the Consulate continues to encourage parents in the Filipino-Australian community to enroll their children in the program, so that second-generation Filipino-Australians will learn the language and remain connected to their Filipino heritage and identity. This is often announced by the Consulate’s officers during meetings with Filipino community leaders as well as during Filipino community events and gatherings.

Consul Angeles thanked Mr. McDonnell for inviting the Consulate and the Filipino community to the UN Mother Language Day Celebration. He also noted the Consulate’s partnership with the Blacktown City Libraries, including the ongoing Filipino-language book donation drive that the Consulate initiated to help increase the number of reading and audio-visual materials in Filipino at the Blacktown Library.

Blacktown City is home to the biggest number of Filipino and Filipino-Australian residents, not only in the State of New South Wales, but in the whole of Australia. END