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By Marie Feliciano, Contributor
More than a dozen Filipino associations in
Taiwan and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) are
holding today the biggest Independence Day celebration ever to be
staged in Taipei, a top MECO official said.
Antonio Basilio, MECO managing director
and resident representative, said MECO has decided to hold the event
today to give more than 90,000 overseas Filipinos in Taiwan the
opportunity to participate in the annual revelry. Many OFWs in
Taiwan are only free on Sundays, said Basilio. Independence Day is
officially celebrated on June 12.
“We are offering our Independence Day
celebration to our hardworking OFWs in Taiwan. I believe that a day
of music, dance and entertainment is a fitting tribute to our
country’s modern-day heroes,” said Basilio.
The fiesta, the largest annual celebration
hosted by MECO in Taiwan, will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Da-an
Park in downtown Taipei.
Participating community organizations
include the Aguman Kapampangan Team, Bicol Association, Bugkos
(another Bicolano group), Confederation of Ilocano Associations,
Cordillera Organization in Taiwan, Filipinos Married to Taiwanese
Association, Hsinchuang Filipino Community, Ilan Community,
Kapulungan ng Samahang Pilipino, Migrante International, The
Migrants, OFW Family Club-Taiwan Chapter, Pundok Bisaya
International, Samahang Makata International-Taiwan Chapter, Tamsui
Filipino Community, and the Visayas-Mindanao Association in Taiwan.
“These Filipino organizations have never
ceased to impress MECO. I find their resourcefulness and ingenuity
astounding. Last year, they produced astonishing cultural
presentations. Their performances and contributions to the show were
totally unexpected and very impressive. Their schedules,
particularly those working at factories, did not even jive, and yet
they were able to deliver exceptional performances,” said Basilio.
Last year’s revelry kicked off with a colorful
parade led by a flag-bearer dressed in an elegant Barong Tagalog. A
parade featuring Philippine traditional costumes came next, followed
by a Santacruzan. Filipino community groups dressed in Sinulog,
Masskara and Ati-atihan costumes followed.
“Our community groups only had a few
weeks to prepare for our event. In spite of time and financial
constraints, they still managed to give smashing performances last
year. I believe that they will again be outdoing themselves this
year. We promise that we will be pulling out all the stops to give
our kababayan [compatriots] an unforgettable Independence Day
celebration,” said Basilio.
Just like in previous years, Basilio said
this year’s celebration will start with a cultural parade
featuring the various Filipino community organizations in Taiwan. A
lucky draw will also be held with the proceeds of the raffle to go
to the planned Philippine Migrant Center in Taipei.
MECO, with member-organizations of the
Federation of Filipino Communities in Taiwan and the Ugnayan Migrant
and Immigrant Center, is also planning to establish an OFW center in
Taipei.
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