22 October 2014 - The Philippine Embassy in Mexico joined the celebration of the 46th founding anniversary of the Escuela Secundaria Republica de Filipinas held on October 20 in Mexico City.
The school was named after the Philippines as an expression of gratitude for the Philippine Government’s donation of chemistry laboratory equipment in 1968. The school presently provides secondary education to over 600 Mexican students.
Close to 400 people were in attendance, including students, faculty members and school officials. The program was highlighted with parades of traditional Mexican and Philippine costumes.
The students paraded in the traditional costumes of the different regions of Mexico, namely, Vera Cruz, Oaxaca, Puebla, Jalisco and Sinaloa. The Embassy staff and their families likewise showed the traditional Filipino costumes, like the barong tagalog, baro’t saya, maria clara, terno and ethnic costumes.
The audience was enthralled by an arnis demonstration by Vice-Consul Mikhal De Dios and Passport Officer Fernando Carillo, Jr. that several students volunteered to take part in the presentation.
Another highlight of the celebration was an art workshop conducted by Filipino painter, Manuel Baldemor with around 40 selected school students. Mr. Baldemor prepared 60 black and white sketches depicting the various cultural aspects of Philippine-Mexican relations. The students colored over the sketches which were then displayed for everyone to view and admire. Certificates of participation were given to the students by the ambassador and Mr. Baldemor at the end of the workshop.
School Director Mariano Reyes thanked the Philippine Embassy for participating in the school’s anniversary celebration. He said that the event would further enhance the friendly relations between the school and the Embassy. He thanked Mr. Baldemor for conducting the workshop and expressed the hope that the painter would feature the Escuela Secundaria Republica de Filipinas in his next artworks.
The Ambassador commended the school officials for holding the event and he hoped that the students learned much about the culture of the country after which their school was named. END
