15 June 2012 - The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait started the celebration of the 114th Anniversary of Philippine Independence on June 12 with a flag raising ceremony together with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Pag-IBIG Fund, Social Security System (SSS), and the leaders of the Filipino communities in Kuwait.
The program started with Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Shulan O. Primavera's Independence Day message followed by the reading of the Independence Day messages of President Benigno S. Aquino III, Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario, and Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.
Ambassador Primavera, in his Independence Day message, put emphasis on the act of "declaration" of Philippine Independence being the core of the celebration. He underscored that behind the revolts and the conduct of democratic processes from thereon, is the dawning of the Filipino people's collective will and awareness.
Recalling the People Power Revolution in 1986 where the Filipino people came together as one and demanded a regime change, Ambassador Primavera took pride in the fact that the said revolution was first in Asia and the progenitor of the Arab Spring in the Middle East.
A diplomatic reception was held at the Crowne Plaza in Farwaniya, Kuwait in the evening with Ministry of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Khaled Al-Jarallah as the guest of honor.
Members of the diplomatic corps and leaders of the Filipino Community graced the occasion. END