New Delhi, 12 June 2015 – The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi celebrated the 117th Declaration of Philippine Independence in a whole day affair.
A flag raising ceremony at the Embassy grounds was held at 8:00 am. Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Ma. Agnes M. Cervantes read the message of President Aquino. Other Embassy officers and a Filipino community leader read the messages of the Vice President, Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Secretary of Labor and Employment.
During the mass was held outside the Official Residence, Father Sunil Toppo, Assistant Priest of St. Dominic’s Church in New Delhi, emphasized that Philippine Independence is meaningful not only to Filipinos but also to Indians. He shared that Indians look up to the Philippines because Filipinos value the freedom of all peoples. Despite having a huge diaspora worldwide, Filipinos respect different cultures and are known as a peace-loving community.
The mass was also offered as thanksgiving for having zero Filipino casualties in the 25 April 2015 earthquake that struck Nepal and bordering states of India.
CDA Cervantes highlighted that the Filipino community in Nepal was immediately able to establish the well-being of Filipinos in Nepal due to their close-knit ties and availability of their contact details. CDA Cervantes encouraged the Filipino community in India to register with the Embassy so that the Embassy would be able to reach them in times of emergency.
Also present during the celebrations was Ambassador Ricardo Endaya, to assess what kind of long-term aid the Philippines could provide to Nepal.
A Filipino-style breakfast followed afterwards in the Embassy library. The Embassy also conducted Overseas Voters Registration to take advantage of the attendance of the Filipino community members and requested them to spread the word about registration.
A diplomatic reception was held at the Hyatt Hotel in the evening, which was well-attended by ASEAN Heads of Missions, ASEAN diplomats and officials from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
Mr. Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Union Minister of State Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs; Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha); and Saran, Bihar and General Secretary of BJP, was the Chief Guest during the dinner.
