11 December 2013 - The Philippine Embassy in Singapore held a meaningful commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of the founder of the Katipunan, Andres Bonifacio on November 30 at its premises.
The day began with a brief reminiscence of who Andres Bonifacio is, followed by a flag-raising. Ambassador Minda Calaguian-Cruz spoke on the relevance of Andres Bonifacio in our daily lives and in our task of nation-building. This was followed by a reflection on Andres Bonifacio and his place in our history, the use of the Katipunan as a national movement and how it influenced other revolutions in other parts of the Philippines by Professor Ruel V. Pagunsan, from University of the Philippines-Diliman’s History Department, currently doing his doctorate in History at the National University of Singapore. A traditional Philippine dance in honor of the founder of the Katipunan was performed by Ms. Celia Defato, formerly with the Bayanihan Dance Group, and a colleague from Kultura, a cultural-performing arts group. Embassy staff did the choral recital of Andres Bonifacio’s “Pag-Ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa.”
Eleven canvas paintings by various Philippine artists depicting their interpretation of Andres Bonifacio were unveiled by the Ambassador. These art works are courtesy of the Canvas group in the Philippines and their project “Looking For Juan”, which hopes to instill in us a sense of pride for our heroes.
A simple reception and fellowship with the Filipino community followed after the program. END