LOS ANGELES – The Filipino-American community in Southern California celebrated the 112th anniversary of Philippine Independence with a simple and colorful party at the LAX Hilton Hotel on Saturday, June 12. The austere cultural show and ball, organized by a committee headed by community leader Gil Mislang, featured a scintillating mix of traditional Filipino dances, patriotic songs, a parade of flags, and a bevy of beautiful girls competing for the Miss Asia-USA title.
The success of this year’s version of the celebration rested partly in large measure on the participation of the region’s various Fil-American organizations, whose leaders paraded in front of an approximately 500 cheering guests. As in past celebrations, the organizing aspect of this year’s celebration was the culmination of months of preparation undertaken by the 112th Independence Day organizing committee, composed in large measure by past chairpersons and committee members of Philippine Independence Day celebration during the last decade. Names like Trini Follente, Josie de Jesus, Jojit Paredes, Naomi Armada, Chito Mandap, Dr. Carlos Manlapaz, Dr. Rey Landero, Noel Omega, Bobby Reyes, Lydia Soriano, Darna Umayam, Lucy Babaran, and Bing de la Vega come to mind.
"Every year as we celebrate Independence Day, our Kalayaan group puts together a celebration that unifies all members of the Filipino-American community," remarked Consul General Mary Jo Bernardo-Aragon prior to reading a special message sent by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. "We at the Philippine Consulate General are with you in one of the largest celebrations of Philippine Independence outside the Philippines."
Keynote speaker Corey Calaycay, councilman of Claremont City, declared that he wanted to convey two messages to the Filipino-American community in the United States, "our role as ambassadors of our community, and our responsibility towards our family members, our kababayans who are in the Philippines."
"Speaking of freedom, it isn’t free; we always have to fight for these cherished freedoms. That is why we always need to be vigilant and aware of what’s happening in the motherland, and fighting for our fellow kababayans that will always have freedom and that they have many of the opportunities that we have here in the United States," declared the twice-elected councilman and former mayor of Claremont City. "I encourage all my fellow Filipinos around the world – and even those in our home country--to always be aware of our heritage and to always be good ambassadors and bring respect to Filipinos."
Throughout the last decade or so, attendance in these annual celebration have fluctuated from a high of 2,000 last year to 800 the year before that. On Saturday, the guest list qualifies as one of the most compact during the recent past. Community leader Noel Omega, who was chairman of the celebrations committee two years ago, explains: "Every Kalayaan celebration is unique; each one with a set of challenges."
"For this year, I believe that we have tried to put together – again as a community – and came up with a successful celebration," Omega, a vice chair this year, added. "Now, granted that every year we do not have the same number of people attending, this is simply because of the type of attendance that each Kalayaan chair likes to include. Last year, (chaired by Darna Umayan) they had a lot of people and in 2008, we had around 800 people; you’ll notice the fluctuation. But more or less, the celebration of Philippine Independence is the most important aspect."
"This is my first time to attend a Kalayaan celebration, and I feel the energy in the air," comments Josie Castro of University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). "Perhaps it’s because of the new (Noynoy Aquino) administration that’s coming in the Philippines. We are all looking forward to something; that we actually have a chance. My coming here is very meaningful and very symbolic." (Rene Villaroman/AJPress)
( Published June 16, 2010 in Asian Journal Los Angeles p. A1 )
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