18 December 2014 - As part of its cultural diplomacy activities, the Philippine Embassy in Pretoria held a Christmas party on November 30 at the Chancery for members of the Filipino community in southern Africa and to share and promote Filipino cultural traditions with the Filipino community and local citizens of South Africa.

A mass was celebrated at the beginning of the day’s festivities, officiated by Filipino priests – Fr. Edgar Vizcara and Fr. Alex Muana.

Philippine Ambassador to South Africa Joseph Gerard B. Angeles took the occasion to introduce himself in a first-time gathering of the Filipino community hosted by the Embassy since his arrival in August this year. He gave a presentation to the community on the recent economic achievements of the Philippines, including increased investments in public infrastructure, flourishing industries such as business process outsourcing (BPO), electronics, tourism, real estate, manufacturing, skills development, and the Philippines’ attainment of investment-grade level from renowned ratings agencies. He likewise exhorted the Filipino community to participate in the Philippines’ thriving democracy through the overseas voters registration.

Traditional Filipino fare served by the Embassy and contributed by the Filipino community did not fail to satisfy the guests, with such an array as: dinuguan at puto, caldereta, inihaw na liempo, inihaw na isda, embutido, bopis, pan de sal, and gulaman, among others. END