In her opening remarks, Philippine Consul General Bernardita L. Catalla underscored the importance for Filipinos, especially those who are now residents of Hong Kong, to continue speaking and being proud of the Filipino language. To emphasize her point, the Consul General even recited the famous lines uttered by our national hero Jose Rizal, which goes, “Ang hindi magmahal sa sariling wika ay higit pa sa hayop at malansang isda.”

The love for the Filipino language was one of the central themes of Teatro Filipino’s performance. While the play’s plot focused on the modern day courtship between a young couple, one purportedly the ghost of Maria Clara and the other a look-alike of Crisostomo Ibarra, two famous characters in Rizal’s world-renowned novel Noli Me Tangere, a number of scenes artistically highlighted distinctive Filipino practices, customs and traditions like saying of po at opo, kissing of the hand of elderly to show respect (pagmamano), courtship through serenading (paghaharana), fiestas, dance ball during fiesta (pagsayaw sa bayle), among others.

The play ended with the group reciting in chorus their invitation to the audience to watch out for the play’s full length rendition next year. The crowd of almost 150 gave the performers a rousing applause.

After the very successful and well-received presentation of Teatro Filipino, Consul General Catalla handed over certificates of appreciation to individuals and organizations that contributed to the successful staging of the 2015 Kapangyawan Festival. Consul General Catalla encouraged the Consulate’s partners to continue supporting the Consulate’s projects, activities and programs in the coming years. END