PH Consulate General in Toronto Participates in Mabuhay Philippines Festival Parade
TORONTO 17 September 2019 — The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto officers, staff and their families participated in the 21st Mabuhay Philippines Festival Parade held at the Nathan Phillips Square on 25 August 2019.
The parade is the highlight of the annual two-day festival, on 24 – 25 August 2019, organized by the Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC).
The parade was held along parts of Armoury Street, University Avenue, Dundas Street West, Yonge St., and Queen Street West in downtown Toronto, and back to Nathan Phillips Square. The Philippine Heritage Band led the parade, followed by contingents from the Philippine Consulate General, PIDC, sponsors, and Filipino-Canadian organizations.
Proudly garbed in Filipiniana attire, personnel from the Consulate General and members of their families, including their young children, participated in the highly anticipated parade.
The event was an occasion to look back at the 21 years during which the Mabuhay Philippines Festival has been in the forefront of honoring and celebrating the richness of Filipino culture and heritage. It has undergone a remarkable journey, from the auspicious beginning 21 years ago, to being the largest celebration of Philippine heritage and culture in Canada today.
The inaugural of the Mabuhay Philippines Festival in August 1998 for 21 days at the Canadian National Exhibition was the first such "Pinoy" festival in Canada. It served to highlight the talents and achievements of Filipinos all over the world. Through the years, Mabuhay Philippines Festival has had a reputation of being a colorful spectacle that takes the audience to a kaleidoscope of Philippine history and culture.
At the conclusion of the parade, Consulate General Acting Head of Post Edna May G. Lazaro urged everyone who attended and participated at the festival to show everyone that we are Filipinos and that we are proud to carry the Philippine flag. Her exhortation came at the end of the parade around the vicinity of Toronto City Hall. END
Philippine Consulate General in Toronto officers, staff and their families. (Toronto PCG photo)
In her remarks, Consul Edna May G. Lazaro exhorted the crowd to proudly wave the Philippine flag. (Toronto PCG photo)
For more information, visit https://www.torontopcg.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philcongen-toronto.com or https://www.facebook.com/PHinToronto/.