Las Vegas—Some 5,000 Filipinos flocked to the first annual celebration of Philippine independence in this city last Saturday June 6, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) said. "With over 5,000 people in attendance through out the day there were no negative incidents, just many praises on how much fun they all had," Noel Casimiro, project chair said.
Filipinos and non-Filipinos from Las Vegas , California, Arizona and Utah came to attend the whole day event.The festivity has so far been the biggest celebration in this city to commemorate the 111th Independence Day of the Philippines. The Philippines marks its Independence Day on June 12.
NaFFAA Nevada had said it aims to hold the Las Vegas event annually every month of June. The event is expected to unite Filipinos to make them "more visible" in the community, it added."We have just exemplified what a true unity with one voice in a community of one is all about," NaFFAA Nevada state chair Jing Espiritu told the Asian Journal.Na
FFAA is a non-partisan, non-profit national affiliation of more than five hundred Filipinos-American institutions and umbrella organizations. Its core mission is to empower Filipinos in the United States .It has been one of its aims to unite the various Filipino groups in each city in the United and help integrate it with American society.
Casimiro noted that the Fiesta celebration should mark the start in creating an atmosphere of unity among Filipinos in Las Vegas ."We must build from the momentum of this event. We must continue to communicate to our community how important it is for us to unite and we must continue to work together for us to have one voice," he said.
Filipinos are one of the largest cultural groups in Las Vegas , numbering close to 100,000 residents. The Filipino people were at the center of celebrations at City Hall last May 6 during the celebration of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in this city.NaFFAA was also recognized for empowering the Filipino-American community in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, NaFFAA will hold a gala night on June 20th at the Treasure Island Hotel to give recognition to ten outstanding Las Vegas residents who have contributed to the promotion of Filipino culture and issues in this city.
( Published on June 11, 2009 in Asian Journal Las Vegas p. A1 )
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
| Comments |
|
3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
