Filipinos prepare for independence day celeb in UAE

MANILA, Philippines - “Bayanihan" or the spirit of cooperation will mark the observance of the 110th anniversary of Philippine independence among Filipino communities in Dubai, the main city in the United Arab Emirates.

Online news site Khaleej Times on Monday reported that 30 Filipino organizations contributed funds for the celebration that will be held on June 13 at the Al Nasr Leisureland, a popular amusement park in Dubai. The event will be open to the public for free.

Additional funds will come from other sponsorship packages, advertisements and tiangge or flea market, according to the report.

"It was this Bayanihan way of working together that brought us to where we should be despite the limited time," the report quoted Art Los Baños, chairman of the organizing committee, as saying.

Some 4,000 Filipino expatriates and other nationalities with Filipino spouses are expected to join the celebration.

Los Baños said preparations for the event are more than halfway through in terms of production, logistics, souvenir programs, and funding.

He said the committees likewise forged barter agreements with Zyng at Dubai Festival City and Chowking, which supplied food and refreshments during committee meetings and general assemblies.

The activity will feature two television personalities from the Philippines in cooperation with Orbit and Western Union.

Giordano Fashion House will also sponsor a mini-fashion show with models from the Filipino community. There will also be a ballroom dancing competition and a "Palarong Pilipino" or Filipino indigenous games.

The celebration will kick off with the Migrant Worker's Day Sportsfest 2008 on June 6, where 15 Filipino clubs will participate in the "Battle of Filipino Organizations."

On June 9, at 7:30 p.m., the Philippine Consulate-General will hold a reception for the diplomatic corps and the officials of the UAE at the Al Bustan Rotana in Dubai.

A flag raising ceremony will be held at the Philippine Consulate on June 12, which carries the theme "The 110th Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence."

Philippine Ambassador Libran Cabactulan in Abu Dhabi and Consul-General Benito Valeriano in Dubai are expected to read messages from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and Labor Secretary Arturo Brion. - GMANews.TV

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