07 July 2016 - Philippine Ambassador to Hungary Maria Fe T. Pangilinan led the celebration of the 118th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence organized by the Philippine Embassy for the Filipino community in Hungary.
Around 180 Filipinos including Filipino-Hungarian families participated in the affair, which was held at the Chancery garden on June 19. In the spirit of this year’s theme, “Kalayaan 2016: Pagkakaisa, Pagaambagan, Pagsulong,” the Embassy united with its citizens in planning the program and sharing food with each other, thereby advancing the harmony among all members of the Filipino community.
The program started at 10:00 A.M. with the singing of the National Anthem and the recitation of the “Panunumpa sa Watawat”. This was followed by a Holy Mass celebrated by Fr. Philip Crossey, an Irish priest, who was assisted by Filipino religious sisters assigned at the Papal Nuncio mission, and the members of the community and Embassy staff.
Ambassador Pangilinan introduced the officers and staff of the Embassy after which she gave an inspirational speech with focus on the theme of Pagkakaisa and Pagaambagan. She encouraged everyone to really unite among themselves and also with their Embassy, thereby encapsulating the essence and meaning of community. She also touched on the socio-political developments under President Benigno S. Aquino III in the Philippines and the incoming set of government leaders led by President Rodrigo Duterte. She reiterated that all Embassy personnel are committed to serve the country and especially the overseas Filipinos.
The underlying purpose of the celebration is to give the young 2nd generation Filipino-Hungarians early roots and memories of what being a Filipino entail through “pabitin” (with prizes), singing, and Filipino food. A sumptuous lunch buffet consisting of traditional Filipino food like kare-kare, adobo, embutido, baked tahong, among others, was served to the delight of everyone who attended.
Fun and laughter reverberated throughout the Chancery garden. Young and old alike joined the games and the quiz show, “PH historical trivia.” The event ended with Filipino karaoke session, where everyone including Embassy personnel entertained each other by showing off their vocal prowess. In typical Filipino fashion, an impromptu dance session followed the singing.
The celebration closed at 4:00 pm with guests happily bringing their prizes and sleepy, smiling children, saying that they look forward to future national day celebrations. END