08 July 2013 - The Philippine Embassy in Madrid informed the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Filipino community celebrated its annual Barrio Fiesta on June 30 at the Colegion Inmaculada-Marillac in Madrid.
The theme for this year´s Barrio Fiesta was “Filipinas y España, Amigos Para Siempre” (Philippines and Spain, Friends Forever) in commemoration of the 11th Philippines-Spain Friendship Day.
The day-long festivities began with the inaugural ribbon-cutting ceremony and the annual parade of Filipino organizations in Spain. It was subsequently followed by an ecumenical service officiated by the spiritual leaders of various religious organizations in Madrid.
The program proper began with the reading of the messages of President Benigno S. Aquino, Jr., Vice-President Jejomar Binay, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, and Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz by the Philippine Ambassador to Spain Carlos C. Salinas and Embassy officials.
In his remarks to the community, Ambassador Salinas informed 
those present of the recent developments in the Philippines particularly to the country’s impressive economic growth and took the opportunity to thank the Filipinos community for their “tireless efforts to participate in projects that raise the community’s collective consciousness and engage in programs that promote Spanish-Filipino socio-cultural relations.”
The Barrio Fiesta’s cultural program was comprised of songs, traditional folk dances and games, Spanish dances, and a much-awaited performance by featured artist Mr. Paolo Avelino of The Filipino Channel (TFC/ABS-CBN) who entertained an estimated crowd of 2000 guests. Mr. Avelino was part of the hit teleserye “Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan.”
The Barrio Fiesta was also the venue for the official launching in Spain of Pinoy Radyo Espanya, a radio station which specifically caters to Filipinos in Spain by bringing them news about their fellow Filipinos in Spain. Ambassador Salinas made the first official broadcast for Pinoy Radyo Espanya.
The raffle, in which 10 roundtrip tickets to the Philippines and cash prizes amounting to more than 2,000 euros were given away, was also among the most highly anticipated activities of the day.
The numerous booths sold dry goods, traditional and popular Filipino food items such as kakanins, barbeque, lechon kawali, halo-halo, pansit, and lumpia, and service providers such as remittance, travel, real estate and phone cards companies.
The Barrio Fiesta culminated the month-long celebration of Mes Filipino in Spain. END