Next week’s flag-raising ceremony hosted by the Philippine Consulate in Sydney to celebrate Philippine Independence Day will be open to the public through various social media platforms.
Around this time last year, the Filipino-Australian community was in a flurry of activities to celebrate Philippine Independence Day.
From Philippine Independence Day balls and cocktail events, to flag-raising ceremonies at RSL clubs, various Rizal Parks and community centres, Filipinos go all out to commemorate the declaration of Philippine Independence from Spain in 1898.
It’s not just in Australia where the Filipino migrant community pulls in all the stops. The same goes for Canada, the US and anywhere there is a large contingent of Filipinos.
But this year, many of the usual events and activities have been cancelled due to COVID19 restrictions.
Fortunately, the Philippine Consulate in Sydney is giving the public a chance to honour the annual tradition of flag-raising at the Consulate’s Official Residence through a watch party on Facebook, to be held at 10am on Friday, June 12 (the actual date of the national holiday in the Philippines).
To attend online, log on to your Facebook or Instagram account and search for ‘PHLinSydney’. Set your watch to 10am on the day to watch the event.
This year’s theme is Kalayaan 2020: Tungo sa Bansang Malaya, Nagtutulungan at Ligtas (Kalayaan 2020: Towards a Free, United and Safe Nation).
“We earlier planned a reception for the consular corps, NSW officials, business community and Filipino Australian community, but with the uncertainty brought about by the COVID19 and the directive of the Department of Budget Management in NBC 580 reducing our budget by 45 percent to rechannel funds to the Philippine efforts to deal with COVID19, we cancelled the occasion,” said Consul General Ezzedin Tago from the Philippine Consulate in Sydney.
Commenting on the purpose of the flag-raising, he said, “Most of the community do not get to watch the Philippine flag raised on a pole. Some of us have taken this for granted. But it is both exciting and exhilarating to see our national symbol rise above all of us.
Because of this, we encourage the Filipino community all over New South Wales to join us in celebrating this important milestone. We hope Filipino families watch the Flag raising event via Facebook and Instagram and rekindle their patriotism, remember the sacrifices of our past and present heroes to achieve the freedom and democracy that we experience today.”
The COVID19 pandemic has brought about many changes. For the Consulate, all services are now by appointment or mail. It found that this is a more organised, safer and provides a more pleasant experience with less waiting time.
With the health crisis bringing about a likely recession, the Consulate is encouraging the community to tap into the financial literacy webinars of DTI Sydney (Check out their Facebook page: DTISydney).
“For us at the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney, we hope to bring to everyone some cultural programs and activities in the coming months through social media and digital platforms,” he said.
To stay up-to-date with the Philippine Consulate General’s upcoming programs, follow them on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and soon, YouTube) under “PHLinSydney”.
