PH Consulate General in Xiamen Celebrates 2020 National Heritage Month

Vice-Consul Elaine Mae Laruan-Hernandez, Acting Head of Post, presents to the local hires of the Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen “The Philippines”, a short lecture on important facts about the Philippines. The lecture, considered important for the effective functioning of the local hires, jumpstarts the month-long “Mga Kuwentong Pamana” of the Consulate General’s personnel to celebrate National Heritage Month. (Xiamen PCG photo)

XIAMEN 08 June 2020 – Taking advantage of the respite from visa issuances as brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen celebrated National Heritage Month by holding a series of presentations through the month of May sharing “Mga Kuwento ng Pamana” from their own birthplace, hometown, or places with whom they have a strong relation.

The Consulate General’s personnel took turns in presenting the history, touristic places, and other significant events or information concerning their places of origin, spiced with snippets of their personal history/accounts related to the place being presented. The following places that were explored were, namely: Aklan, Bicol (Tabaco & Legazpi), Bulacan, Catanduanes, La Trinidad, Las Piñas, Manila, Negros Occidental (Murcia), Pasay, and Quezon City.

The presentations became an opportunity for the Consulate General’s members, including the local hires, to take a glimpse of various places in the Philippines and be proud of its history, its beauty, and other factors which contributed to the narrator’s well-being and development. Filipino personnel of the Consulate General re-affirmed their love for country and expressed a bolder desire to nurture the Philippines and its people, especially in the current pandemic crisis.

The event was jumpstarted by a presentation about the Philippines rendered by Acting Head of Post Elaine Mae V. Laruan-Hernandez, particularly to the six Chinese local hires of the Consulate General, in the interest of familiarizing them with the country they work for and helping them understand the people they work with. The local hires, most of whom have already visited the Philippines, appreciated the effort and expressed the hope to be able to revisit the Philippines someday.

Mr. Ianne Mher Hernandez, a former teacher of Filipino language at the Ateneo de Manila High School, rendered a presentation about the language. He presented salient points about the language and emphasized the importance of a Filipino knowing his own language (Wag kang Maging Magaling na Ewan). According to him, we cannot be called masters if we lack the understanding of our own identity, culture, language, and all.

The activity was carried out pursuant to President Proclamation No. 439 declaring May as the National Heritage Month (NHM), in recognition of the need to create among the people a consciousness, respect, and love for the legacies of Filipino cultural history. This year’s theme, “Mga Kuwentong Pamana” (Stories of Heritage), aimed to highlight the important role of sharing knowledge, experiences, and stories of different aspects of Filipino Heritage in fostering cultural learning and appreciation within Filipino society. END

Mr. Ianne Mher Hernandez, a Filipino teacher from Ateneo de Manila High School, provided a brief talk on interesting facts about the Filipino language. The presentation was part of the Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen’s Bahaginan project to celebrate National Heritage Month. (Xiamen PCG photo)

The Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen’s personnel took turns in presenting snippets of information about places in the Philippines where they were born or where they grew-up as part of “Mga Kuwentong Pamana – Bahaginan sa Xiamen”. (Xiamen PCG photo)

For more information, visit https://www.xiamenpcg.dfa.gov.ph.