Sikap still going strong at 33 years

Sikap officers and members led by Rey Vital (front row, 2nd from right) are joined by guests for the annual Christmas lunch.

One of the oldest Filipino community organizations in Hong Kong held its annual  Christmas and anniversary get-together at Empire Hotel in Wanchai on Nov. 26.

Sikap (for Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino sa Hong Kong) turned 33 this year, an event celebrated by more than 60 of its members, friends and family members.

The organization made up mostly of Filipino drivers in Hong Kong is headed by Rey Vital, who founded the group way back in 1984.

The group has built camaraderie among its members mainly through tennis, although in its earlier years it was engaged mainly in organizing basketball tournaments.

Through the years, many of Sikap’s members have raised their own families in Hong Kong that it now counts as part of its tightly knit community most of the minor children of migrant workers granted right of abode here recently.

Vital says Sikap will continue holding friendly tennis competitions and holding regular fellowships to further strengthen the friendship and unity it has built for more than three decades.

In fact, he said that right after their anniversary lunch, they would again gather at their Sunday hang out at the Wong Nai Chung court to play tennis, then continue talking over a hotpot dinner. - DCLM