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43rd Lotus Festival Shines Spotlight on the Philippines

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Acting Head of Post Maria Alnee A. Gamble thanked the City of Los Angeles for highlighting the Philippines in this year’s 43rd Lotus Festival; she also encouraged Filipino-Americans to be ambassadors of Filipino heritage and culture.

LOS ANGELES 17 July 2024 – The City of Los Angeles showed its love for and interest in the Philippines and Filipino culture at the 43rd Lotus Festival held on July 13 and 14, 2024 at Echo Park. The Festival welcomed approximately 75,000 visitors during the two-day event.

The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, in collaboration with the Philippine Department of Tourism-Los Angeles, Philippine Trade and Investment Center-Los Angeles (PTIC-LA) and Filipino-American organizations Pilipino Workers Center and Kayamanan ng Lahi hosted the Philippine Pavilion which featured some of the country’s iconic imageries, including the bahay kubo, complete with a bamboo sala set, flower kariton (cart), exhibits of Filipiniana clothing and a kulintang set before a backdrop featuring the Philippines’ famous Boracay Beach and Mayon Volcano.

The Pavilion also hosted booths from various Filipino-American community organizations and artists based in Historic Filipinotown.

The Consulate General's personnel provided tourism information materials and answered questions about the Philippines from interested and curious visitors. There was also a special event for children as they were taught to play the pabitin game featuring Filipino snacks. PTIC-LA provided San Miguel brand ice-cream which was served to performers and VIP guests on the first day of the Festival.

The Festival was opened by Mayor Karen Bass, City Controller Kenneth Mejia, Acting Head of Post Maria Alnee Gamble, Council Member Hugo Soto-Martinez of District 13 (where Echo Park belongs), and other LA City officials

The Lotus Festival is an initiative organized by the Los Angeles City Department of Parks and Recreation in partnership with Lotus Inc., a non-profit organization which aims to promote and showcase the various cultures of countries from the Asia-Pacific region through an annual summer festival. Aside from the Philippine Pavilion, the Festival featured over 65 various merchants, providing food and services, as well as free music and dance entertainment on both days. Under the supervision of LA Parks and Recreation, the Festival also featured a dragonboat race, lantern lighting, and carnival rides for children. END

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Filipino-American Symphony Orchestra performing on the first day of the Lotus Festival.

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From left: Pilipino Workers Center representatives led by Ms. Malou Villacisneros (3rd from left), Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, Acting Head of Post Maria Alnee Gamble and Consul Marie Cris Chieng

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Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez (center) tries the Kulintang.

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Philippine Independence Day Foundation President Mr. Fred Docdocil (4th from left) with Philippine Consulate General personnel (from left) Ms. Edelwina Valencia, Ms. Ligaya Amen-De Jesus, Consul Marie Cris Chieng, Ms. Valerie Frogozo, Ms. Arianne Hernandez, Ms. Hazel Mendoza, Vice Consul Levi Anthony Malaylay and Mr. Roy Turingan.

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Children participating in the pabitin game with their eyes on the prizes.

For more information, visit https://www.philippineconsulatela.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinLA/.