PHL Embassy Celebrates Kalayaan 2016 with a Fiesta in Brazil
Philippine Ambassador to Brazil, Jose D.R. Burgos, led the officers and staff of the Philippine Embassy in Brasilia, members of the Filipino community and special guests in commemorating the 118th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 16 at the Salão Nobre of Clube da Aeronáutica in Brasilia, Brazil.
About 400 guests, including officials from the Brazilian government, the Ministry of External Relations, members of the diplomatic corps and the Filipino Community were treated to a “Philippine fiesta” complete with bahay kubo, cultural presentations, Filipino delicacies including lechon, colorful banderitas (buntings) and other fiesta-themed decors.
The Guest of Honor was Senator Ana Amelia Lemos from the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Senator Ana Amelia is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Culture and Sports and a member of the Brazilian delegation at the Mercosur Parliament. In 2012, she was among the three first-term Senators that had a high approval rating of their projects in the Senate.
Other special guests included Commander of the Brazilian Navy Admiral Eduardo Barcellar Leal Ferreira, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps Apostolic Nuncio Dom Giovanni D’Aniello, Ministro Ary Norton de Murat Quintella, Acting Undersecretary General for Policy II, Ministry of External Relations, Brazil, Mr. Gerson Carrion de Oliveira, Vice President of Finance and Internal Controls of Brazilian Postal Corporation (Correios) and Philippine Honorary Consuls General Mr. Francisco Rodrigues da Silva Filho (Manaus) and Dr. Somchai Ansuj (Porto Alegre).
This year's celebration also commemorated the 70th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Philippines and Brazil. In line with this, the Brazilian Postal Corporation (Correios) issued a Special Stamp Canceller featuring two birds of great importance to the biodiversity of the respective country: the Philippine Eagle and Brazil’s Crowned Eagle. The Philippine Embassy in Brasilia also published and distributed the Anniversary Magazine entitled “Setenta.”
From cocktails to dinner, the guests were treated to various Filipino delicacies starting with lumpiang shanghai, kwek-kwek, chicken barbecue, turon, pichi-pichi, puto and biko each served on banana leaves and bilao (woven tray).
Dinner included beef morcon, pancit, chicken adobo, fish and tofu highlighted by fiesta favorite lechon with ube ice cream, halo-halo and sans rival as desserts. For refreshments, the guests enjoyed sago’t gulaman, buko pandan and San Miguel Beer.
Other Philippine companies who supported the event were Mama Sita and Philippine Airlines who also had their display booths alongside the banderita-filled food booths.
To complete the fiesta theme of this year’s celebration, some members of the Filipino Community and a Brazilian guest performed “Pandanggo sa Ilaw” choreographed by Professor Barbara S.B. Bomfim, a Filipina married to a Brazilian.
Before the said dance number, Totus Tuus Choir, a Brazilian choral group of children age 8 to 13, sang two Filipino songs, “Bayan Ko” and “Sa Kabukiran,” and two Brazilian songs, “Aquarela do Brasil” and “Garota da Ipanema.”Totus Tuus Choir, with founder Mr. Paulo Bittencourt and Choir Master Felipe Ramos, is the same group that held a benefit concert for the Filipino victims of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013.
Source: www.dfa.gov.ph Date accessed: 23 June 2016
