Filipino community in Switzerland celebrates 117th anniversary of Philippine Independence
In the usual colourful pageantry typical of Filipino festivities, the Filipino community in Switzerland celebrated the 117th-year anniversary of Philippine independence on 06 June 2015 at Mehrzweckhalle Bach in Uetendorf, Berne. The event, which bannered the theme “Humakbang sa Kinabukasan Kakabit ang Ating Nakaraan”, was organized by the Filipino Network of Berne in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy. It was attended by around 700 people from all over Switzerland.
Photos (U-D): The UP Concert Chorus
The celebration was made special by the presence of the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus who sang their own unique renditions of selected Filipino music. Fribourg-based Filipino singer Vincent Levantino also performed a couple of patriotic songs to the delight of the audience.
Photo: The Philippine Embassy in Berne, UN Mission and WTO Officers and Staff
Personnel of the Philippine Embassy in Berne and the two Philippine Missions based in Geneva led by the three ambassadors readily joined the festivity and belted out their rendition of “Pinoy Ako”.
The Philippine Independence Day celebration would not be complete without the usual food fair typical of Filipino festivals. Food stalls offering classic Filipino fare such as adobo, pancit, lumpia, dinuguan, and various other native delicacies lined outside the hall where the program was held. Apart from food, some stalls sold items from the different regions in the Philippines such as trinkets and home products.
The Philippine Embassy also took advantage of the presence of a large number of Filipinos during the event and conducted registration for overseas voting in preparation for the 2016 Philippine National Elections during which the Embassy registered a total of twenty (20) new registrants. END
