Philippines street festival comes to new Banpo Park

The new Banpo Park is probably the best place in the city to show off the colorful and lively Filipino culture - one as diverse as the archipelago itself.

On Sunday, the Philippine Embassy is holding a series of activities at the recently opened Banpo Park to celebrate the 111th Philippine Independence Day, the 14th Filipino Migrant Workers Day and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries.

To bring this festival to fruition, the embassy enlisted the help of the local Filipino community to showcase six of the most popular street festivals the Philippines has to offer.

"Lively festivals, with their energetic and costumed street dances, are key tourist attractions in the Philippines," said Philippine Ambassador Luis T. Cruz.



"This year, we will bring these festivals to Korea to give the public a glimpse of the vibrant history, society and culture of the Philippines in hopes of further promoting mutual understanding between our nations and strengthening people-to-people exchange," he added.

The featured events will include the Panagbenga, a festival of flowers; Sinulog, Ati-atihan and Flores de Mayo, religious festivals that underline the importance of Christianity in the Philippines; Masskarra, a parade of masks; and Kadayawan, a popular thanksgiving festival in Southern Philippines.

Approximately 300 members of the Filipino community from all over Korea have volunteered to take part in the street dances, training for two months under professional instructors sent by the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

The street dances will begin at 1:30 p.m. and last for about one and a half hours.

A mass for the Filipino community will open the festivities in the morning while a brief recognition ceremony for Korean individuals and organizations that actively help Filipino workers will take place after the parade of festivals.

The daylong program will also include labor counseling services by the Korea Ministry of Labor, a concert by Filipino bands based in Korea, and free tests and basic medical services by the Seoul National University Hospital.

The celebration comes after the state visit of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Seoul on May 30, at the heels of the ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit in Jeju on June 1-2.

During the summit, Arroyo and President Lee Myung-bak agreed to intensify and broaden cooperation as both countries celebrated the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Philippine National Day is celebrated every year on June 12 and the Philippine Migrant Workers Day, an annual celebration in honor of Filipinos working abroad, in the month of June.

Other organizations that will provide support for the festivities on Sunday include the Human Resources Development Corporation, Korea Exchange Bank, Landbank of the Philippines, Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company, Western Union and Woori Bank.

The celebration is open to the public.

(yoav@heraldm.com)



By Yoav Cerralbo