June 15, 2009

Street Festivals to Highlight Philippine Festivities in Seoul’s Banpo Park

On July 5, 2009, the Philippines comes to Korea.

Enlisting the local Filipino Community to showcase six of the most popular
street festivals in the Philippines, the Philippine Embassy in Seoul will hold a series
of activities at the recently opened Banpo Park on July 5 to celebrate the 111th
Philippine Independence Day, the 14th Filipino Migrant Workers Day and the 60th
Anniversary of Philippines-Korea Bilateral Relations.

“Lively festivals, with their energetic and costumed street dances, are key
tourist attractions in the Philippines,” said Philippine Ambassador to Seoul Luis T.
Cruz. “This year, we will bring these festivals to South Korea to give the public a
glimpse of the vibrant history, society and culture of the Philippines in hopes of
further promoting mutual understanding between our nations and strengthening
people-to-people exchange,” he added.

The featured events will

include the Panagbenga, a
festival of flowers; Sinulog, Ati-
atihan and Flores de Mayo,
religious festivals that underline
the importance of Christianity in
the Philippines; Masskarra, a
parade of masks; and
Kadayawan, a popular
thanksgiving festival in Southern
Philippines.

Approximately 300
Sinulog dancers during the dress rehearsal on May 24,
members of the Filipino 2009 at the War Memorial of Korea
Community from all over South
Korea have volunteered to take part in the street dances, training for two months
under professional instructors sent by the Philippine National Commission for Culture
and the Arts.

The street dances will begin at 1:30PM and last for about one and a half hours.
A mass for the Filipino Community will open the festivities in the morning while a
brief recognition ceremony for Korean individuals and organizations that actively
help Filipino workers will take place after the parade of festivals.

The daylong program will also include labor counseling services by the Korea
Ministry of Labor, a concert by Filipino bands based in South Korea, and free tests
and basic medical services by the Seoul National University Hospital.

The celebration comes after the successful state visit of Philippine President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Seoul on May 30, 2009, at the heels of the ASEAN-
Korea Commemorative Summit in Jeju on June 1-2. Pres. Arroyo and Pres. Lee
Myung-bak have agreed to intensify and broaden cooperation as both countries

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 June 15, 2009

celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and
South Korea, which were established on March 3, 1949.

The Philippine National Day is celebrated every year on June 12 and the
Philippine Migrant Workers Day, an annual celebration in honor of Filipinos working
abroad, in the month of June.

Other organizations that provided support for the festivities on July 5 include
the Human Resources Development Corporation, Korea Exchange Bank, Landbank of
the Philippines, Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company, Western Union and Woori
Bank. The celebration is open to the public.

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