DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
P R E S S  R E L E A S E
www.dfa.gov.ph                                                                                           2330 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, Philippines                                                                                 Tel. No. 834-4000 
SFA-AGR-783-05                                                                                                                                                                                                                             27 October  2005

PHILCONGEN OSAKA SPEARHEADS LOCAL COMMUNITY FIESTA HIGHLIGHTING FILIPINO CULTURE

27 October 2005 – Acting Head of Post Consul Pedro C. Santizo of the Philippine Consulate General in Osaka, Japan, reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Consulate, in cooperation with the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) and Filipino communities in Kansai, successfully held a mini-fiesta on 23 October 2005 as the culminating event during the Naniwa Citizens’ Festival organized by Osaka’s Naniwa Shopping District Association.

Consul Santizo said that hundreds of visitors from the Japanese and Filipino communities in the Naniwa Ward area visited the event aimed at promoting Philippine culture and establishing goodwill among the Japanese and Filipinos residing in Naniwa and nearby areas.

In his remarks opening the mini-fiesta, Consul Santizo spoke of the Filipino fiesta “not only as a time for merrymaking, but also as an opportune time for thanksgiving and the renewal of friendship and close relations with now exist between Japan and the Philippines.”

Consul Santizo reported that the Consulate, in coordination with Tourism Representative Valentino L. Cabansag of the DOT Osaka Office, Chairman Tadayoshi Kondo of the Naniwa Ward Shopping Arcade Association, and Filipino communities turned Naniwa Park into a mini-Philippine fiesta complete with stalls selling Filipino-style barbecue, roasted chicken and local goods.

Consul Santizo also said that there were booths offering pamphlets and brochures on Philippine tourist destinations, as well as information on services offered by Philippine companies such as Osaka-based Philippine Airlines and Metrobank, and Nagoya-based Philippine National Bank.

The mini-fiesta likewise featured a fashion show of traditional Philippine dresses presented by Chairperson Sally Takashima and Vice-Chairperson Noemi Itsukage of the Philippine Community Coordinating Council, the umbrella organization of Filipino communities in Kansai.

Naniwa Ward, situated in the center of Osaka City, is the site of a number of commercial complexes, including “Denden Town” for electronic goods, “Shin Sekai” (“New World”) known for the Tsutenkaku Tower, “Janjan Alley” and “Nanba City.”  END
 

/jay