14 June 2012 - The Philippine Consulate General in New York (NY) in cooperation with the Philippine Trade and Investments Center-NY (PTIC), Department of Tourism-NY (PDOT-NY), and the Philippine Center hosted a formal reception on June 11, the eve of the 114th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence.
The event held at the Philippine Center in New York was attended by 200 guests from the diplomatic and consular corps, business sector, the arts community, tourism sector and members of the Filipino-American Community from the Tri-state area, New England and Pennsylvania.
The reception had a "Barrio Fiesta" theme in keeping with the new Philippine tourism slogan "It's More Fun in the Philippines". The Kalayaan Hall was decorated with fresh bamboo, fruit, and floral arrangements and utilized Philippine weaves such as Abel Iloko, sinamay, and piña materials for accents.
The decor was conceptualized and executed by Filipino-American designer Rody Picar.
Guests were treated to a buffet of Philippine favorites such as okoy, empanadas, shrimp, kakanin, sago't gulaman, dalandan juice, the famous "halo-halo" and a selection of Philippine ice cream flavors.
In his Independence Day Message, Philippine Consul General to New York Mario L. De Leon, Jr. spoke of the great sacrifices made by our forebears to secure the freedom enjoyed by all Filipinos today. He noted, however, that the quest for freedom also entails empowering every single Filipino and Filipino communities throughout the world to establish a just, progressive and sustainable future.
At the end of his remarks, Consul General de Leon invited the guests to view a teaser video clip of the "Its' More Fun in the Philippines" campaign provided by the PDOT-NY headed by officer-in-charge (OIC) and Tourism Representative in Chicago Ms. Vernie Morales.
The Consulate's special guest for the event, Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory L. Domingo relayed the Independence Day greetings of President Benigno S. Aquino III to the Filipino-American Community and spoke of the positive economic outlook of the Philippines and the commitment of the Philippine Government to ensure that this trend will continue.
Another highlight of the evening was a special performance by Filipino-American Broadway and Hollywood artist Anna Maria Perez de Tagle. Anna Maria wowed the guests with her moving renditions of songs from the musicals "Les Miserables", "Godspell", and the Filipino favorite "Ikaw".
To cap a great performance, Anna Maria teamed up with Consul General de Leon in a duet of "Ikaw ang Ligaya Ko", a song popularized by Filipino singer Ric Manrique, Jr., which Ms. Perez de Tagle jokingly told the audience she had to learn from her famous grandmother, Ms. Sylvia La Torre.
Other performers at the event were Miguel Braganza and Vivian Velasco who performed the "Subli" while the New Jersey Chamber Rondalla provided live music for the evening.
As an added attraction, guests were invited to have their photographs taken at a special photo booth with a "It's More Fun in the Philippines and tourism sites" backdrop. Guests got to take home their pictures as souvenirs from the reception.
Secretary Domingo, dignitaries, and other guests gamely posed at the photo booth and were delighted with their tokens from the event. END