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It’s on with the show this Sunday, June 23, for the second
part of the Philippine Independence Day celebrations on Chater Road
Last Sunday’s festivities had to be cancelled at the last
minute because of the mass protest against the controversial extradition bill,
which has since been withdrawn by the Hong Kong
government.
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| Statue Square by Chater Road was nearly empty on Jun 19 |
“Tuloy na tuloy na ito,” said Leo Selomenio, lead
coordinator for four Sundays of events scheduled to mark the 121st
anniversary of Philippine Independence.
The highlight of this Sunday’s “Kalayaan” celebration will
be the Festival of Dances, featuring native dances from the Philippines ’ three main islands: Luzon, Visayas
and Mindanao .
Six traditional dances from Luzon will be presented, five
from the Visayas, and two from Mindanao .
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There will also be three competitions, in zumba, modern
dance, and cheer dance.
The whole-day event will start early, at 8am with an Amazing
Race contest, followed by community zumba dancing led by eight instructors.
At 10am a parade by participants will be held, followed by
the singing of the national anthem and a message by Consul General Antonio
Morales.
The festivities will be capped by live music from four bands
provided by the Hong Kong Musicians Union.
Selomenio said the organizers had to squeeze in scheduled
events for two Sundays into the celebration, “pero kaya naman.”
Some sponsors reportedly complained about the cancellation
of last Sunday’s show but Selomenio told them it was an unforeseen event and
that the security of those involved, especially the overseas Filipino workers,
could not be compromised.
Besides, many of those who had committed to take part were
reportedly warned by their employers to avoid going to Central; others were
even told not to leave the house.
An estimated two million people took part in last Sunday’s
protest march, causing traffic to come to a virtual standstill from Causeway Bay
Most of the places where Filipino migrants hung out on Sundays
were nearly deserted, including Chater
Road
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| Filipino migrants on an Admiralty walkway look oblivious to the black-shirted protesters passing by them |
The Consulate had advised Filipinos to avoid the potential
choke points in the protest, including its own offices in United Centre, which
is a just stone’s throw away from the government center.
With the government backing down on its plan to push ahead
with the bill that could see accused persons in Hong Kong being handed over to
places it has no extradition treaty, including China, the feeling of unease
appears to have subsided.
“Sana
The first Sunday of Independence Day festivities was held on
Jun 9, with the Kulay Pinoy presentations and the parade led by Consulate
officials as the highlight.
On the last Sunday of the month, Jul 30, the traditional
Kalayaan Ball, attended mostly by migrant Filipinos dressed in colorful native
attires, will be held at One
Palace
Selomenio says more than 300 Filipino migrant workers have
already signed up to attend the annual
gathering.
But the Chater events continue to be the biggest draws in
the month-long festivities, with about 1,000 participants taking part on each
Sunday. Hundreds others come just to watch and join the merrymaking, or avail
of services offered by various groups that pitch tents along Chater Road
The groups taking part in next Sunday’s Festival of Dances
are: Mindanao Federation (Talandig); Mindanao Migrant Workers Alliance
(Kadayawan); Cadiz Association (Dinagsa); Panay Overseas Workers Federation
(Dinagyang); Capiz Achievers (Halaran); Miga International (Manggahan); One
Negros (Masskara); Ilagan City (Bambanti); United Lakas Pangasinan (Bangus);
Cordillera Administrative Region (Gongs); La Union (Panday Abel); Federation of
Luzon Active Group (Pamulinawen); and the Luzon Alliance International
(Sunflower).
This year’s events are jointly organized by the Consulate,
the Philippine Association of Hong Kong, Global Alliance, Philippine Alliance
and Federation of Luzon Active Groups.
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