Filipino Community in South Sudan Marks 128th Philippine Independence Day in Juba

Juba- On June 13, 2016, the Filipino Community in South Sudan celebrated the 128th anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence at UN House in Juba. The program featured Filipino cuisine, traditional dances (carinosa, tinkling, pandanggo sa ilaw), music, fashion, and the signature warmth of Filipino hospitality.

The celebration honored June 12, 1898, the historic day Filipinos declared sovereignty as a nation. On that day in Kawit, Cavite, Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista publicly read the “Acta de la Proclamación de la Independencia del Pueblo Filipino” (Act of the Proclamation of the Independence of the Filipino People) upon the directive of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, first President of the Revolutionary Government. It was also when the Philippine flag was raised for the first time and Julian Felipe’s national anthem was played in public, though it had no lyrics yet.

The Juba event was graced by Hon. Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, Member of Parliament (MP) in the South Sudan Transitional National Legislative Assembly and former Minister of Information, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Presidential Affairs. Also present was Vice Consul Danna Paula S. Olaya of the Philippine Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, together with officials and guests from the Japanese Embassy, Swiss Embassy, and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.