LONDON – Filipinos in Great Britain celebrated the Philippines’ 114th Independence Day last Sunday. The celebration began with a flag raising ceremony at the Philippine Embassy’s grounds.
Various leaders from the Filipino community in the United Kingdom were invited to join the celebration. Many of them have attended the event wearing Filipiniana costumes and Barong Tagalog to make the event more meaningful.
The Representative of the Philippines to the Court of St James’s, Ambassador Enrique Manalo, reminded Filipinos about the value of the Philippine flag, especially for overseas Filipino workers around the world.
“The flag serves as a beacon to Filipinos in the United Kingdom and as a symbol of our nation”, he said.
“It also represents the commitment of our government to protect and promote the interest of the Filipinos around the world,” he added.
His speech also mentioned the recent visit of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III in the United Kingdom.
Ambassador Manalo stressed that PNoy’s visit in 10 Downing Street has further boosted the relationship between the Philippines and the UK.
“Both leaders agreed to strengthen Philippine-UK relations in all it aspects including people to people relations,” he said.
“The Philippines and UK relations had been bolstered if not been strengthened as result of the President’s visit,” he said.
Meanwhile, kababayans here have recognized the importance of the celebration of the Independence Day outside the Philippines.
“It is very important because as we remember the 114th Independence Day of the Philippines, we remember what it means to be free as a people, what it means to be a Filipino,” Richard de Villa, a Marketing and Technology Officer from the Department of Tourism.
A political officer of the Philippine Embassy in London emphasized the value of celebration on the sacrifices of forefathers to achieve freedom in the past.
“It’s good that we have a celebration like this every year because we remember the sacrifices made by our heroes in the past,” Consul Louis Alferez said.
This year’s 114th Independence Day event was celebrated with the theme "Kalayaan: Pananagutan ng Bayan para sa Tuwid na Daan."
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