The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong organized three well-attended activities to celebrate the 121st Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence – first is the Kapangyawan Friendship Festival at Chater Road in Central on 9 June; second is the Pinoy Almusal, a simple breakfast get-together held at the Consulate’s Public Area on June 12; and third, the Independence Day reception at Conrad Hotel also on 12 June.
Kapangwayan Friendship Festival
This year’s Kapangyawan Friendship Festival was an amazing success despite scattered rains during the early hours of the event. Some 5,000 spectators, Filipinos, Hong Kongers, and other expatriates, filled the Chater Road in Central to witness the colorful cultural shows and other lively performances by members of the Filipino community in Hong Kong and Filipino artists from Manila, namely: Aicelle Santos and Jason Fernandez.
The Philippine Consulate General collaborated with Global Alliance, Philippine Association of Hong Kong (PAHK), Philippine Alliance (PA), and Federation of Luzon Active Groups (FLAG) -four of the biggest and highly regarded Filipino organizations in Hong Kong, to come up with an outstanding line-up of activities.
The Kapangyawan Friendship Festival did not only feature purely cultural and native dances. The Hong Kong Police Marching Band once again wowed the crowd with their lively rendition of Lambada, Instant Concert, Happy Wanderer and I Just Called to Say I Love You. The group has become a mainstay in this annual event as a tribute to the Philippines-Hong Kong friendship.
Pinoy Almusal
A sumptuous breakfast, consisting of typical Filipino food like tuyo, tinapa, daing, longganisa, beef tapa, tocino, salted eggs, pinoy sausage, corned beef, suman, tsokolate, and assorted fruits, delighted the members of different Filipino organizations, media partners and church groups who attended the Pinoy Almusal held at the Consulate’s Public Area.
Aside from partaking the home-cooked meals, attendees listened intently to the Independence Day messages of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Vice President Leni Robredo, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin, Jr., Secretary of Labor and Employment Silvestre Bello III, read by Consul General Antonio A. Morales, Deputy Consul General Germinia V. Aguilar-Usudan, Consul Paolo Saret, and Labor Attaché Jalilo Dela Torre, respectively.
In his remarks, Consul General Morales thanked the members of the Filipino community for their significant contribution and unfailing support during the recently concluded overseas voting that resulted in the successful holding of clean and honest elections in Hong Kong.
National Day Reception
Despite the mass rally staged by anti-extradition bill protesters on 12 June, more than 200 guests from the Hong Kong government, consular corps, business groups, academe, religious groups, and Filipino community filled the Granville and Nathan Ballroom of Conrad Hotel.
However, the invited guest of honor, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng, unable to attend due to the ongoing protests.
At the beginning of his speech, Consul General Antonio A. Morales expressed his sincere appreciation to the guests who managed to arrive despite the difficulties in accessing the event venue.
Consul General Morales also highlighted the Philippines’ economic ties with Hong Kong. He said that the Philippines has continued to be one of Hong Kong’s top trading partners with respect to imports, exports, and total trade. He further added that with the entry into force of the Hong Kong-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, the economic ties will grow even more.
Consul General Morales also underscored the growing potential of cultural exchanges between Philippines and Hong Kong with Filipinos being one of the biggest ethnic minority in Hong Kong. He assured the Consulate’s commitment to expanding its participation in Hong Kong’s cultural scene through collaborative projects with different groups, organizations, and government agencies promoting culture and the arts.
After his speech, Consul General Morales was joined on stage by Foreign Ministry Deputy Commissioner Song Ruan for the traditional toast.
After the short program, guests were treated with Filipino dishes prepared by Filipino Chef Larry Orias of Conrad Hotel Hong Kong while watching the performance of a Filipino Community cultural dance group.
Raffle prizes courtesy of Philippine Airlines were given away. Consul General Morales awarded two winners of a round-trip business class ticket each to Manila.
Other sponsors were PLDT Hong Kong, San Miguel Brewery and Del Monte.
