21 June 2012- Presenting this year's celebration of the 114th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence as a fiesta, Filipinos in Qatar tried to relive this very unique Philippine tradition.
The day began with an earnest flag-raising ceremony at the chancery grounds led by Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Crescente R. Relacion and was well-attended by Philippine Embassy personnel and its attached agencies, the Filipino community, represented by the leaders of more than a hundred organizations, and faculty of three Philippine schools in Qatar last June 8.
This was immediately followed by the recitation of the "Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat" led by the children of Embassy personnel and an ecumenical prayer and the reading of independence messages of the Secretaries of Foreign Affairs and Labor and Employment and the President.
The traditional Almusal ng Bayan capped off the early morning event but also ushered the beginning of a bigger Filipino community celebration.
Under the banner, "Piyesta ng Kalayaan," the Embassy joined the celebration organized by the Philippine Independence Day Organizing Committee 2012 (PInOC 2012) in a whole-day extravaganza at the Sheraton Doha Resort and Convention Hotel.
Music, dances, a food bazaar, a medical and dental mission, a blood donation drive and a rich display of creativity marked the glitzy celebration at the Sheraton Doha which was attended by an estimated 10,000 Filipinos from all walks of life and other nationalities as well.
The highlights of the event included an amateur-singing competition Kantahan sa Doha, multiple band show Banda Rito! Banda Roon!, car and motorcycle show Pinoy Transhow, and a cultural night gala dinner dubbed Gabi ng Kultura.
The Embassy also utilized this occasion for overseas absentee voting (OAV) registration, which garnered a hundred registrants.
The day was also the launching of the official website of the Philippine Embassy in Qatar, www.philembassy-qatar.org.
The Embassy's OAV Team, headed by Vice Consul Gilbert Segarra, facilitated the registration of those in attendance to provide them with an opportunity to register for the 2013 election.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Relacion also inaugurated a 10-day Filipino food festival entitled "Flavors from the Philippines" on June 14 at Gulf Paradise Hotel, together with the hotel management, Embassy personnel, members of the Filipino community and other guests.