14 April 2014 – A joint commemoration of the Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan) and the International Women’s Month was held at the Philippine Embassy in Dhaka on April 11.
In his remarks, Philippine Ambassador to Bangladesh Vicente Vivencio T. Bandillo invited the attendees of the celebration to observe a moment of silence in remembrance of those who suffered and died in the 1942 Bataan Death March, the 63-mile vicious march of Filipino and American prisoners of war during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.
There was also the reading of poem entitled April 9th of ’42, by Aniqa Lomondot, daughter of Philippine Consul General Mohd. Noordin Pendosina Lomondot, in tribute to the heroes of the 1942 March.
International Women’s Month was also celebrated on the same day with the film showing of “EKSTRA,” a Philippine independent film that won for its lead artist, Ms. Vilma Santos, the Best Actress award at the Dhaka International Film Festival held last January 2014.
The film depicts the valiant role of women in Philippine society today, especially as wage earners and heads of family.
Embassy officers, staff members and their families, and members of the Filipino community enjoyed watching the film and partaking together the food prepared by the Embassy.
In line with the Embassy’s commitment to ensure the protection of Filipinos abroad, leaflets on the rights of migrant workers, which were prepared and printed out by the Embassy, were disseminated to everyone in attendance. END