21 June 2016 - The Philippine Consulate General in Sydney hosted a flag-raising ceremony and the opening of an art exhibit entitled, “Four Songs from Oz”, at the Consulate General’s Bulwagang Rizal on June 12. The event was attended by around 150 Filipino community leaders, media practitioners, and other guests from New South Wales (NSW).
The program for the flag-raising ceremony included the reading of the Independence Day messages of Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III and Foreign Affairs Secretary Jose Rene D. Almendras by Philippine Consul General to Sydney Anne Jalando-on Louis and Consul Marford Angeles, respectively.
The Chatswood Chaplaincy Choir led the singing of the Philippine National Anthem. This was followed by the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Philippine Flag led by Administrative Officer Jose Morales. An invocation was led by Visa and Asistance-to-Nationals Officer Erlinda Albay.
In her remarks on the occasion, Consul General Louis discussed the theme of this year’s commemorative celebration of Philippine Independence, “Kalayaan 2016: Pagkakaisa, Pag-aambagan, Pagsulong”, which emphasizes strength in unity and the Filipino’s caring nature. Following this theme, she encouraged the Filipino community leaders in NSW to be united in raising the profile of the Filipino in Australia by exhibiting concern for others and by actively participating in community activities that promote the welfare and interests of the community.
Consul General Louis also spoke about the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-Australia diplomatic relations and the important role played by people-to-people contact in strengthening ties between the two countries. She noted the continuing contributions of Filipinos to the growth and development of Australia. She encouraged the Filipino community to take part in upcoming activities being spearheaded by the Consulate in celebration of this anniversary, such as the Philippine Pasko Festival to be held at the Tumbalong Park in Sydney from November 12 to 13.
The program was followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the art exhibition at the Consulate entitled, “Four Songs from Oz”, by Filipino-Australian artists, Mr. Ramon Coloma, Mr. Alfredo Roces, Mr. Frank Rovero, and Mr. Albert Estanislao. In introducing the exhibit, the artists spoke about their desire to promote the positive influence of art to their fellow Filipinos in Australia, reflecting on their own experiences in this regard. Mr. Roces summed up his own motivation for creating his artworks by saying, “The son never forgets the motherland and the motherland never forgets her son.”
Through their art exhibition, the four artists aim to give homage to both Australia, their adopted country, and the Philippines, their homeland. The exhibit will be shown at the Yuchengco Museum in Manila in July 2016, in collaboration with the Philippine Embassy in Canberra and the Australian Embassy in Manila. The “Four Songs from Oz” art exhibition was held at the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney from June 12 to 17.
After the ceremonies, the guests enjoyed a Filipino breakfast prepared by the Consulate. SBC Group, an importer of Filipino food products and owned by Arthur and Paula Sta. Barbara, contributed several items as giveaways to the guests. Melchrishel Bakery owned by Prudy and Marilyn Miranda contributed pan de sal, and other Filipino baked goods such as ensaymada and Spanish bread, while Ben and Edith Bongat of Benedith’s Cake provided an independence-themed cake. END
