7 July 2010 - The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto reported that it organized several events to celebrate the 112th Anniversary of Philippine Independence.
The celebrations began on May 30 with a Fiesta Filipina kick off at the Hill Park Secondary School, Hamilton, Ontario.
Philippine Consul General Minerva Jean Falcon delivered a speech at the event, which was attended by Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenbergen and other local officials.
On June 6, a flag-raising ceremony was held in the Toronto suburb of Markham, followed by ribbon-cutting of the new Filipino Community Centre of Markham and luncheon with a cultural show by second generation Filipino-Canadian youth.
The event was attended by approximately 200 persons including Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, Councilor Alex Chiu, other Canadian Government Officials and Filipino community leaders.
Other flag-raising ceremonies were also held on June 11 in the suburb of Brampton and at the Queens Park Provincial Parliament.
Both events were followed by a short program and a simple reception.
The Brampton event was organized by the Filipino Seniors Club of Brampton and was attended by about 100 persons.
At Queens Park, seven members of the Ontario parliament were in attendance and delivered speeches.
The Consulate General also held a Thanksgiving Mass at the Consulate premises, which was followed by a salu-salo with Filipino Community leaders and local politicians in Toronto.
In the morning of June 12, the Consulate General held a flag-raising ceremony at the Toronto City Hall and a simple breakfast reception.
During the program, Independence Day messages were read by Consul General Falcon and Consul Edna Lazaro.
A two-day, open air Filipino Fiesta was also held at the Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto that featured a non-stop cultural show.
It was estimated that around 5000 people attended the event.
In the evening, the Consulate General hosted the Gala Independence Day Dinner and Ball at the Grand Ballroom of the Double Tree Hilton. This was done together with the Philippine Independence Day Committee and the Kalayaan Community Centre Canada (KCCC),
On June 13, a flag-raising ceremony was held at the Toronto suburb of Vaughan. After the flag ceremony, a Parade of Colors took place followed by a followed by a cultural program and reception at the City Hall.
On June 19, the Philippine Independence Day Committee and Knights of Rizal organized the Annual Independence Day Picnic and Wreath Laying at the Rizal Statue at the Earl Bales Park.
The Philippine Heritage Celebration 2010 organized by the Filipino-Canadian Association of London and District was held in London, Ontario in celebration of Philippine Independence Day was also held on the same day.
Consul Edna Lazaro, representing Consul General Falcon, delivered a speech at the event.
An Annual Art Exhibition in celebration of the 112th Independence Day was organized by the Philippine Artists Group Canada (PINSEL) and held on June 26.
As finale to the celebrations, the Kalayaan Cultural Community Center presented "Pagkakaisa", a cultural show depicting the Philippine history on June 27. END