09 June 2016 - The Philippine Embassy in Mexico, led by Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Eduardo Jose A. de Vega, joined in the 8th Feria de las Culturas Amigas, an annual cultural event hosted by the Government of Mexico City.
The Feria took place from May 21 to June 05 and saw the participation of more than 90 diplomatic missions in Mexico City. This cultural fair is a major tourist event, attracting millions of visitors every year.
Ambassador de Vega, along with the other members of the diplomatic corps, attended the fair’s inaugural ceremony on May 21, which was presided over by Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera Espinosa. During the opening, Mayor Mancera informed the guests that the success of the yearly event reflected Mexico City’s stature as a world city, bridging cultures from around the globe.
The Philippine Embassy also provided a cultural presentation on June 04, wherein Ambassador de Vega delivered a short message noting the special relationship that Mexico and the Philippines share due to their common historical and cultural heritage from the time of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon.
The Embassy’s presentation featured Philippine folk dances, songs, and a display of traditional Filipino attire. As an opening number, Administrative Officer Bernardo Bagalay and daughter Gracie Bagalay modeled the barong tagalog for men and the Maria Clara dress for women. This was followed by the banga and cariñosa traditional dances, performed by Embassy receptionist Ms. Opalyn de la Cruz and Mr. Josh Espiritu Viernes, a Filipino teacher in Mexico.
Ms. Jeanne Kawakami, a professional singer and songwriter based in Mexico, then entertained the audience with renditions of her original Tagalog song “Alapaap” and two more numbers from her Christian devotional album entitled “Divine Inspiration”.
Third Secretary and Vice-Consul Mikhal C. de Dios was joined by members of the Sistemas de Defensa Personal Urbana (Urban Self-Defense Systems), a Mexican martial arts group, in demonstrating the Filipino martial art of arnis.
For the three-week duration of the fair, the Embassy managed a booth that featured Philippine handicrafts and food. Visitors to the Philippine booth enjoyed the taste of native food such as lumpia, pancit, turon, puto, suman and much more. Guests also admired the variety of Philippine products on display at the booth, particularly the barong tagalog. The Embassy staff also promoted Philippine tourism, answering questions from the public about Philippine culture and handing out travel brochures.
Now on its 8th year, the Feria began in 2009 after the outbreak of the H1N1 virus and is held annually in gratitude to the countries that showed their support for Mexico during that period. It highlights the gastronomy, art, music, culture and traditions of Mexico and all participating countries and aims to promote multi-cultural exchange among nations. END
