The Philippine Embassy in Rome joined the Filipino community in the celebration of the 115th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence through a Commemorative Mass and Independence Day Fiesta held on 02 June and 09 June 2013, respectively.
H.E. Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. and Philippine Embassy officials led the opening of the whole-day celebration at Piazza Ankara on 09 June through a wreath laying and flag raising ceremony.
In line with this year’s theme, “Independence Day 2013: Pitching in Towards Inclusive Growth” or “Kalayaan 2013: Ambagan tungo sa Malawakang Kaunlaran,” the Ambassador emphasized in his message that each Filipino has a role to play in sustaining the impressive economic growth that the Philippines is now experiencing. “It is an encouragement for us all to continue, in our individual and collective capacities, to contribute towards a more progressive and prosperous Philippines, where all Filipinos, including and especially those who have less in life, actually experience an improvement in their personal circumstances. This is the essence of inclusive growth: an economic growth where each Filipino contributes and tangibly feels its benefits.”
The annual fiesta celebration, organized by the Philippine Independence Day Association, was held at Piazza Ankara and featured local talents from the Filipino community in Rome. The Filipino Channel also brought in artist Jericho Rosales to provide entertainment to excited community members from different parts of Italy. Round trip airline tickets Rome-Manila-Rome were raffled and awarded to seven (7) lucky winners during the celebration. The whole-day event, which remained open to the general public for free, attracted more than 5,000 Filipinos from all over Italy.
This year’s Misa Para Sa Bayan was held during the first Sunday of the month at the Basilica di Santa Pudenziana where the Sentro Pilipino Chaplaincy is based.
