Philippine Eagle Launched as Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity in Hong Kong in Community Painting Event with 100 Overseas Filipinos

The final output creates a mosaic of the Philippine Eagle measuring 240cm by 160cm. (Hong Kong PCG photo)

HONG KONG 09 July 2025 — The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong staged the first “100 Overseas Filipinos for the Philippine Eagle” event on 29 June 2025 at the Consulate’s OFW Global Centre, 18th Floor, United Centre, Admiralty. The community painting event was held in commemoration of this year’s 50th anniversary of the Establishment of the Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China. It was also done in line with the Consulate’s month-long celebration of the 127th Philippine Independence Day and in recognition of the Philippine Eagle Week which was celebrated from 04 to 10 June 2025.

The “100 Overseas Filipinos for the Philippine Eagle” community art event was organized by the Consulate and its Sentro Rizal Hong Kong, and was supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of Cultural Diplomacy. The event drew inspiration from the Philippine Fauna Art Society (PFAS)’s “100 Artists for the Philippine Eagle” held on 25 June 2024 at the National Museum of Natural History where 100 artists collaborated on painting one image of the Philippine eagle.

Ms. Bing Famoso, a wildlife visual artist and founder of the PFAS and the Philippine Botanical Art Society, served as lead facilitator and resource person for the project. Her works of visual art, depicting animal and plant life in their natural form, are displayed in esteemed institutions, such as the National Museum of Natural History, and several Philippine Embassies and Consulates around the world, including Hanoi, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Hong Kong. Guhit Kulay, a Hong Kong art collective composed of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), served as the community painting event’s supporting facilitators.

A total of 100 Overseas Filipinos–including artists, art enthusiasts, students, and biodiversity advocates–regardless of professional or personal background participated in the event as collaborating artists. Each 20 by 20 centimeter canvas assigned to each participant holds a crucial part of the overall image. These canvases, when pieced together, formed a single cohesive image of the Philippine eagle.

In his speech, Philippine Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China Jaime A. FlorCruz, the event’s guest of honor, mentioned how the Philippine eagle effectively serves as the country’s Goodwill Ambassador for Philippine Biodiversity in Hong Kong and the rest of the world. The critically endangered species’ image serves as a reminder for everyone to “be in solidarity with nature, work with it, not against it, for prosperity, sustainability, and self-preservation of the whole of humanity.” Consul General Romulo Victor M. Israel, Jr. expressed his gratitude to the Filipino Community in Hong Kong for contributing to the success of all commemorative events in the Consulate’s month-long celebration, including the “100 Overseas Filipinos for the Philippine Eagle” community painting event.

The event concluded with a ceremonial assembling of the painting with each participant proudly placing their canvases on the panel, completing the curated image of the Philippine eagle. Ambassador FlorCruz and Consul General Israel capped off the joyous ceremony by putting in the last two canvases to complete the portrait of the Philippine eagle, the Goodwill Ambassador for Philippine Biodiversity in Hong Kong and the rest of the world.

The collaborative artwork depicting the image of the Philippine eagle will be displayed at the Consulate’s public area and will be part of the Consulate’s travelling exhibit initiative to further raise awareness about the importance of biodiversity, with the Philippine eagle serving as the face of such an advocacy for a noble global cause. END

Ambassador Jaime FlorCruz (4th from left), Consul General Romulo Victor M. Israel, Jr. (3rd from left), Ms. Bing Famoso (3rd from right), and the officers of Hong Kong PCG and Beijing PE join the 100 Overseas Filipinos who are proudly holding their artworks. (Hong Kong PCG photo)

Consul General Israel (leftmost), Ambassador FlorCruz (middle) and Ms. Famoso (rightmost) deliver their welcoming remarks and messages for the participants and promote awareness of the Philippine’s rich biodiversity. (Hong Kong PCG photo)

Ms. Famoso and Ms. Lyn Lopez, President of Guhit Kulay, assist the audience with their paintings. (Hong Kong PCG photo)

Filipino community members of varying ages and professions actively participate at the event. (Hong Kong PCG photo)

Each participant mounts his/her painting onto the frame. (Hong Kong PCG photo)

Ambassador FlorCruz and Consul General Israel place the last two canvases to form the portrait of the Philippine Eagle. (Hong Kong PCG photo)

Ambassador FlorCruz, Ms. Famoso, Consul General Israel, and Vice Consul Allan G. Revote, Head of the Cultural and Economic Sections, with the Philippine Eagle painting. (Hong Kong PCG photo)

For more information, visit https://www.hongkongpcg.dfa.gov.ph, or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinHK/.