WEEK-LONG CELEBRATION OF PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE HELD IN LONDON

16 June 2006— The Philippine Embassy and the Filipino community in London celebrated the 108^th anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence with various activities over a one-week period.

Several hundred Filipinos in London attended a thanksgiving Mass celebrated at the Our Lady of Victories Church in Kensington on June 4, officiated by  the Right Reverend Bishop George Stack, auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Westminster, assisted by Filipino priests Fr. Sergs Magbanua, SSP and Fr. Joel Bernardo, CM.

Ambassador and Mrs. Edgardo B. Espiritu with the officers and staff of the Embassy and their families joined the community in the solemn celebration, which included an offertory dance performed by children from the Embassy, the Philippine Center and the Holy Family Catholic School of Walthamstow.    The Ambassador led the offertory procession with representatives from the community.

In his Independence Day message delivered at the end of the Mass, Ambassador Espiritu  traced the history of the Filipino struggle for freedom through more than three centuries of colonial rule, and up to the People Power Revolution of 1986.   He said that despite the gains made by the Philippines, the country still suffers from the economic crisis brought about by martial law and authoritarian rule. The Filipino diaspora or mass migration, he said, was one effect of that crisis.

The Ambassador added though that the eight million Filipinos now living abroad “have actually helped our people cope with the persistent economic crisis, through their remittances now reaching more than ten billion dollars every year,” which have had “a tremendous effect especially in the blighted rural areas of the Philippines…through investments, construction, consumption, and other activities that generate jobs and income for our millions of unemployed.”

On June 10, the Filipino Women’s Association UK held their annual Philippine National Day dinner-dance that raised funds for the group’s charity and scholarship projects in the Philippines. In his keynote speech, Ambassador Espiritu stressed the importance of education as the key to progress and growth in the Philippines, while Mrs. Espiritu, the Patron of the FWA-UK, praised the heroic qualities of the Filipino women involved in the struggle for independence and in the today’s efforts at social change. The  well-attended affair, graced by many of the Filipino community leaders in England as well as British guests, was held at the Napoleon suite of the Café Royal in London’s Regent Street.

On June 11, the Philippine Embassy officials were again present at this year’s “Fiesta ng Kalayaan at Santacruzan” organized in Surrey, England, by the Kapatirang Sandigan ng Pilipino sa United Kingdom or KASAPI-UK.  Several thousand Filipinos attended the two-day event, which began three years ago as a community celebration of Philippine Independence Day.

Finally, on June 12 itself, Independence Day began with a flag-raising at the Philippine Embassy that featured the reading of messages from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo. Afterwards, Ambassador and Mrs. Espiritu later hosted a Filipino breakfast for the Embassy officers and staff.  Later in the day, the Embassy hosted a Vin D’ Honneur with guests from members of the London diplomatic corps, representatives of the British government, business sector and the media.  (Please refer to the accompanying photo releases on this topic.) END

/epa