04 January 2016 – The Philippine Embassy in Beijing held its annual Christmas gathering with the Filipino community on 20 December 2015 at the Embassy's Sentro Rizal.

In her opening remarks, Philippine Ambassador to China Erlinda F. Basilio thanked the Filipino community for their support of the Embassy's projects. As the year 2015 was brought to a close, she highlighted the positive growth and development in the country's bilateral relations with the People's Republic of China and the various cooperation projects undertaken by both countries. She encouraged Filipinos in China to project a good image of migrant Filipinos by exhibiting the values of hard work, honesty and punctuality.

A short lecture on human trafficking, violence against women and illegal recruitment was also presented by Xian-based Filipino lawyer, Atty. Dennis Manalastas, as part of the Embassy's gender and development programs. The lecture aimed to increase public awareness and understanding of the vulnerabilities of Filipino migrant workers to trafficking.

The afternoon was filled with cheer with games and performances by the Filipino community and ended with a special salu-salo of Filipino delicacies such as arroz caldo and puto with dinuguan. END