PR-01-2023
“It’s about time we come together and have one harmonized celebration for the 125th anniversary of Philippine Independence in 2023.” This was the opening statement of Consul General Maria Lourdes Salcedo as the Consulate convened the first meeting of the Organizing Committee for the proposed celebration branded as 1-2-5 Harmonized Philippine Independence Day on 10 January 2023.
It was an encouraging opening salvo for the new year, and everyone expressed optimism that the initiative could herald better consultation and coordination, if not unity, among Filipinos in Victoria, which stood at over 95,000 based on the 2021 Census.
In the past two years, it was difficult for members of the FilCom to attend five or six Philippine Independence Day formal celebrations, often with overlapping dates. In her letter to over 60 FilCom groups, Consul General Salcedo said that groups can still have their day events such as family day, picnic, sportsfest, meditation walking, quiz bee, chess/bingo social, gardening, tree planting and the like.
The inaugural meeting was a combination of face-to-face and online brainstorming and consensus-building. The Organizing Committee for 1-2-5 Harmonized Philippine Independence Day consists of 15 FilCom leaders who signed up by google registry after the Consulate issued a public call for volunteers. It was a diverse group of leaders with many of them having extensive experience in organizing events. The chosen overall chair is Ms. Maina Walkey, former Philippine Honorary Consul, who oversaw the Centennial Celebration of Philippine Independence in 1998. Consul General Salcedo will for the meantime serve as co-chair.
The meeting resulted in scheduling the Traditional Flag Ceremony on 12 June, a FilCom Cultural-Gala Night on 10 or 11 June, and a Philippine Fiesta event open to the public, and a series of talks/lectures/seminar on Philippine culture for the month of June.
The Consulate is continuously exerting effort to get the FilCom in Victoria collaborate. Several events such as the Meet & Greet the Ambassador last July and the Tara Na, Zumba Na! in August have shown that harmony and collaboration can be achieved with a little help from everyone. The Consulate is also building a Filipino Talents Registry and an online Calendar of Filipino Community Events.
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