06 June 2014 – The Philippine Embassy in Mexico joined 86 other countries in the 6th Edition of the Feria de las Culturas Amigas held in the Zocalo Square located in the historic center of Mexico City from May 23 to June 1. The central location of the fairground as well as being one of largest public squares in the world allowed the 2.5 million visitors to the fair, the chance and convenience to sample the culture and traditions of the participating countries.
The Philippine booth showcased its history, tourism, gastronomy, handicrafts and other emblematic products in the sixteen-day annual fair. The consistently well attended Philippine booth made it one of the most popular and friendly booths in the fair due to the presence of an Embassy personnel who is always readily available to answer the queries of its visitors ranging from tourism to trade inquiries.
In the afternoon of May 23, Embassy personnel and members of the Filipino community presented a cultural program in the center stage located at the fairgrounds. The program consisted of a fashion show/cultural skit that showcased Philippine dresses, history and cultural traits. A very realistic arnis demonstration was also presented eliciting gasped of amazement from those present. The program ended with the presentation of the popular tinikling dance. The rain soaked afternoon did not deter those watching from enjoying the thirty minute cultural presentation.
The auditorium of the Museo Nacional de la Cultura located at Mexico City’s historic center was the venue for the film showing of “Magnifico” on May 25. As expected, the 2-hour film evoked so much emotion from those watching that people can be seen wiping tears from their eyes at the end of the movie. Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Catalino R. Dilem gave a brief synopsis of the film and also correlated some of the aspects shown in the movie with the Filipino virtues of generosity, affection for the elderly and care for the mentally and physically handicapped. END