PH Embassy in Moscow Joins Filipinos in First Ever Christmas, New Year Celebration of St. Petersburg Filipino Community 

Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos D. Sorreta greets the Filipino community members via video message at the Hotel Oktiyabrskaya, St. Petersburg on 05 January 2020. (Moscow PE photo)

MOSCOW 14 January 2020 ––The Saint Petersburg Overseas Filipino Workers informal group, consisting of Catholics, Jesus is Lord, Iglesia ni Kristo, FCF Hope Church, apostolic group, Born-Again and Russian Orthodox Church Filipino members (all male) banded together in a remarkable show of unity at Hotel Oktiyabrskaya, St. Petersburg for the first ever Christmas and New Year celebration of the Filipino community in St. Petersburg on 05 January 2020. 

Organized by Ms. Haydee Josol, together with the coordinators and leaders from each group, the Saint Petersburg Overseas Filipino Workers showed that Filipinos coming from different religious and faith-based groups can work together in unity not just for the Christmas and New Year season, but for worthwhile endeavors the whole year. 

The community was joined via remote video message of Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos D. Sorreta, who sent Consul General and Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Ferrer and Attaché Ceferino Angel L. Caldez, Jr. to represent the Embassy officers and staff at the event.

In his message, Ambassador Sorreta stated that several Embassy events have taken place in St. Petersburg, the most recent of which was the diplomatic reception co-hosted with the Philippine Honorary Consul General in St. Petersburg Sergey Alexeev on 18 November 2019, where Filipino fashion and food products were showcased to the St. Petersburg diplomatic and official community and economic managers. Ambassador Sorreta explained that such activities help promote the Philippines’ job-generating enterprises among Russian buyers. He also stated that Filipinos in St. Petersburg are partners in this endeavor.

Consul General Ferrer praised the Filipinos from different faith groups for finding common ground despite their religious and theological differences. He said Filipinos around the world play a “salt-of-the-earth” role in ensuring that different nationalities are more harmonious and understanding of each other. He stated his experience at the United Nations offices in Vienna, where if there are Filipino staff in their midst, tensions between ethnic nationalities are minimized. He promised more Embassy official missions in the former Russian capital.

The event was preceded by a consular mission, where Attaché Caldez released 19 passports of Filipinos who previously applied to renew their passports. Information about the ongoing overseas registration for the 2022 national elections were also disseminated. Similar to other Filipino community Christmas events in Moscow and Yerevan, Armenia this year, Ambassador Sorreta gave gifts as raffle prizes to the Filipino community members. END

St. Petersburg Filipino community members render a Christmas song. (Moscow PE

Filipino liquor and other food products were donated by the Philippine Embassy in Moscow as raffle prizes represented by Consul General and Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Ferrer (rightmost) . (Moscow PE photo)

United Filipino community Christmas and New Year party Organizer Haydee Josol (center) and Consul General and Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Ferrer (rightmost) with the Filipino community in St. Petersburg. (Moscow PE photo)

Filipinos receives their passports from Attaché Ceferino Angel L. Caldez, Jr. (Moscow PE photo)

For more information, visit https://www.moscowpe.dfa.gov.ph, or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinRussia/ or https://twitter.com/phlinrussia.