PH Consulate General in Los Angeles Joins Virtual Celebration of Kalayaan 2020
Philippine Consul General to Los Angeles Adelio Angelito S. Cruz (top left), together with the officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, including all partner agencies—Philippine Trade and Investment Center, Philippine Department of Tourism, Philippine Overseas Labor Office, Police Attaché Liaison Office on the U.S. West Coast and the Social Security System—applaud from their homes to give tribute to Filipino healthcare workers. This clip is part of the video tribute incorporating clips from all over the United States.
LOS ANGELES 17 June 2020 – Philippine Consul General to Los Angeles Adelio Angelito S. Cruz, together with the women and men of the Consulate General, joined all Philippine Foreign Service Posts (FSPs) in the United States in a unique and historic celebration of the 122nd Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence. Thousands of Overseas Filipinos in the United States and other parts of the world watched the celebration as it was livestreamed on 12 June 2020.
Under the leadership of Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez and his team at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., this year’s Independence Day celebration defied the odds of a global pandemic and successfully commemorated the historic event by way of a simultaneous virtual flag-raising ceremony and Independence Day program. The event was conducted over online meeting platform Zoom and streamed through Facebook Live, a first for any Philippine FSP in the United States.
(photo courtesy of Washington PE)
A pre-event virtual reception was held to welcome special guests composed of officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, partners from Philippine government agencies and the private sector, as well as guests from the foreign diplomatic corps in Washington D.C.
Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez (left) and Philippine Consul General to Los Angeles Adelio Angelito S. Cruz (right) sing the Philippine National Anthem during the simultaneous flag ceremony on 12 June 2020, at the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. and Consul General Cruz’ official residence in Arcadia, CA, respectively.
The formal program began with the singing of Philippine and U.S. National Anthems, followed by Independence Day video messages from President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs David R. Stilwell and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso also sent their felicitations via video.
In line with this year’s theme, Kalayaan 2020: Tungo sa Bansang Malaya, Nagbabayanihan, at Ligtas (Freedom 2020: Towards a Free, United, and Safe Nation), Ambassador Romualdez, in his remarks, said that while the COVID-19 pandemic has brought fear and uncertainty into our lives, it has also brought out the best in the Filipino, particularly through the frontliners and healthcare workers all over the world who embody the courage and resilience that were once displayed by our forebears who fought for our nation's freedom and independence.
The Ambassador further added that despite the grim situation, there is cause for hope and optimism because the bayanihan spirit lives on and has become the mark of Filipino communities in the Philippines and overseas.
The commemorative event included performances by New York-based Filipino-American musical theatre artists and members of Broadway “Barkada”, Ms. Ester Barroso-Guerzon and Mr. Roy Flores, whose soulful rendition of OPM hit “Umagang Kay Ganda” and inspirational song “Beautiful City”, respectively, highlighted the Filipino’s innate musicality.
The program concluded with a music video prepared by all Philippine Foreign Service Posts in the U.S.A., honoring the hard work and sacrifice being made by countless Filipino-American essential workers who are at the front lines of combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The tribute video, which was inspired by the song, “We Heal as One”, also featured video clips exhibiting the Filipino community’s bayanihan spirit.
To cap off Independence Day festivities, Consul General Cruz and Mrs. Catherine A. Cruz, together with the Consulate General’s officers and staff who joined the ceremony at their residence, watched the 2016 Spanish war drama film entitled, “1898, Los Últimos de Filipinas” (1898, Our Last Men in the Philippines). They gained insights into how the historic Siege of Baler was depicted through the Spaniards’ point of view.
A few days before Independence Day, the Consulate General sent electronic “postcard style” messages to its contacts and colleagues from the host government, consular corps, Filipino-American community organizations, and the media, among others, to convey in a tasteful and appropriate way, the importance of Kalayaan 2020 celebrations to the Filipino people, while remaining sensitive to and cognizant of the global pandemic the whole world is presently grappling with. The ePostcard was meant to convey hope and aspiration for a better future with beautiful places one can look forward to visiting post-pandemic.
The Consulate General also shared on its Facebook page the livestream of Independence Day celebrations in the Philippines. END
Clockwise: Healthcare workers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Mr. Regalado Valerio Jr., President of the Philippine Nurses Association in Southern CA, and the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern CA were among the frontliners featured in the video tribute.
For more information, visit https://www.philippineconsulatela.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinLA/.