02 July 2015 - The Philippine Embassy in Rome, represented by Vice Consul Candy Cypres, attended the Philippine Independence Day celebration in Palermo on June 28. More than 300 hundred people gathered at the Cantiere Culturale alla Zisa di Palermo to commemorate the 117th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippines Independence. The celebration was led by Philippine Honorary Consul Antonino di Liberto, of the Honorary Consulate General in Palermo and was made possible through the support of the Comune di Palermo, Presidenze del Consiglio Comunale and the Consulta delle Culture and the various Filipino organizations in Palermo.
The colorful celebration provided an opportunity to showcase the talents and creativity of Filipinos. Various groups awed the audience with performances of traditional dances and music. The cultural show was filled with performances from second and third generation Filipinos who are proud of their roots and heritage.
The celebration was made more meaningful by the oath taking of nine dual citizenship applicants who wished to re-acquire their Filipino citizenship. Prior to the oath taking ceremony, Vice Consul Cypres explained the benefits of having dual citizenship. She encouraged other former Filipino citizens who have been naturalized in Italy to re-acquire their Filipino citizenship to be able to avail of these benefits. END
