The Philippine Embassy in Brunei Darussalam celebrated the 124th anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence with the Filipino community in the Sultanate at its newly constructed Consular Annex in the Diplomatic Enclave on Saturday.
Philippine Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Marian Jocelyn R Tirol-Ignacio was present.
The evening began with Independence Day messages from Secretary of Labour and Employment Silvestre H Bello III, Secretary of National Defence Delfin N Lorenzana, and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L Locsin Jr for overseas Filipinos.
The messages were read by Labour Attaché Melissa C Mendizabal, Defence and Armed Forces Attaché Colonel Angelo Gerard P Ariles, and Minister and Consul General Pete Raymond V Delfin. The reading of the messages culminated with the Independence Day message of Philippine President Rodrigo R Duterte read by the ambassador.
In her remarks, Tirol-Ignacio expressed her gratitude and appreciation for the support and goodwill extended by members and organisations of the Filipino community in the Sultanate to the embassy’s programmes and projects.
In particular, she mentioned the food assistance programmes implemented by the embassy in 2020 and 2021, when some 2,823 food packages donated by the Filipino community to fellow Filipinos whose jobs were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The donations were made in addition to the support provided by the Ministry of Health.
Highlighting the bayanihan (unity and cooperation) spirit among the Filipino community, the event featured the awarding of certificates of appreciation to members and organisations of the Filipino community for their contributions.
The event saw performances including classical Filipino music and original Filipino music song book performed by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Alumni Association and Seri Mulia Sarjana School and a Cordillera dance by OFW Global Movement for Empowerment (OFW GME) to the tune of Salidumay. One Pinoy Music (OPM) provided live music for the evening’s festivities.
