PH Embassy in The Hague Joins Celebration of Igorot Cordillera BIMAAK-Europe Anniversary
Philippine Ambassador to Netherlands Jaime Victor B. Ledda (third row, standing, ninth from left, in red, yellow, and black traditional Benguet-weave vest) with members of the Igorot Cordillerans from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Philippines, Spain and United Kingdom in this year’’s 10th ICBE Conference (EV Perez, The Hague PE photo)
THE HAGUE 19 August 2019 – The Philippine Embassy in The Hague, led by Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands Jaime Victor B. Ledda, joined the Igorot tribes of the Cordillera region in the European Union in celebration of the 17 years of the establishment of the Igorot Cordillera BIMAAK-Europe (ICBE) on 27 July 2019.
The three-day conference commenced on 26 July 2019, and saw ICBE participants from five Cordillera provinces of Abra, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province engaged in dialogues and workshop discussions in the preservation of the Igorot heritage.
This year’s celebration was hosted by the Netherlands-based Igorot tribe, MABIKAs Foundation, led by its chairperson Myra Colis. The event featured cultural performances of song and dance by both the young and the old, which proudly affirmed the unique historical roots of Cordillera’s Igorots.
In his remarks, Ambassador Ledda expressed his gratitude to the Igorots, the elders in particular, for their perseverance, commitment and dedication in preserving their identity and cultural indigenous heritage, especially among their members in the second generation and onwards.
The Ambassador outlined a few activities that IBCE-Europe could undertake in the pursuit of their objectives in Europe and amongst its younger generations, such as the upcoming convention of Asian scholars in Spain that will coincide with the hosting of the 11th ICBE Conference by BIBAAK Madrid in 2021. END
For more information, visit https://www.thehaguepe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinTheNetherlands/.