20 August 2015 - The Philippine Embassy in Oslo joined the Filipino community in Stockholm, Sweden in their celebration of  “Piknik ng Bayan 2015” on August 08 at Rålamhovsparken in Stockholm.  Minister and Consul General Charmaine Rowena C. Aviquivil, Attaché Theresa Bantolo-Heikkilä and Trade Representative Mary Borromeo-Hedfors represented the Embassy during the event. 

The Filipino Community Leader’s Association in Sweden (FILCOMLAS Sweden), an aggrupation of Filipino community leaders belonging to different FilCom organizations based in Stockholm, spearheaded the annual “Piknik ng Bayan” that gathers Filipinos in Stockholm for fun and games every summer. FILCOMLAS Sweden also organizes another major event during winter, the “Pasko ng Bayan.”

The Filipino community in Stockholm brought along their families and Swedish friends and flocked to Rålamhovsparken to enjoy the picnic lunch and parlor games for children and adults alike, such as Filipino trivia, watermelon-eating, balloon blowing, longest line contests and dress-up relay race, among many others, during the mid-day event.

In her remarks, Consul General Aviquivil commended the Filipino community for making the effort to organize events that foster unity and camaraderie amongst themselves, such as the “Piknik ng Bayan 2015,” and called on them to always maintain their cultural identity as Filipinos even while they reside and work thousands of miles away from ther homeland. 

Attaché Bantolo-Heikkilä and Trade Representative Borromeo-Hedfors also took the opportunity to remind the Filcom that the Embassy is always ready to serve the needs of Filipinos in Sweden, and that they are valuable partners of the government  in promoting the economic opportunities in the Philippines to Sweden. END