The Philippine Consulate General in Nagoya marked for the first time the Philippine Independence Day since Post’s establishment on 4 December 2019.
Flag Ceremony and Get-Together. On 12 June 2021, the Consulate General’s officers and personnel held a flag ceremony to celebrate the 123rd anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence.
The ceremony held at the frontage of the Consulate was also attended by a limited number of guests, in observance of the State of Emergency measures in Aichi Prefecture.
The flag ceremony, guided by this year’s theme, “Diwa ng Kalayaan sa Pagkakaisa at Paghilom ng Bayan,” was a culmination of the Consulate’s special activities for this year’s Philippine Independence celebrations.
Consul General Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat, in her speech, underscored the Consulate’s role in bringing Philippine government services closer to Filipinos in Central Japan during this new normal. She reminded our fellow Filipinos to “draw inspiration from the spirit of unity and solidarity as the key to fighting a faceless and formidable enemy: the SARS-CoV-2.”
The ceremony also included the message from Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., read by Deputy Consul General John Jerome O. Castro.
During the breakfast gathering, Consulate personnel, family members, and Japanese guests viewed the pre-recorded national day messages of Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr.
Videos to Mark Kalayaan 2021. Personnel and guests also viewed the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Special Independence Day video concert entitled “Lessons for a Changed World: The Legacy of the Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines,” in commemoration of 2021 as the year of Filipino Pre-Colonial Ancestors.
Prior to the June 12 celebrations, the Consulate General jumpstarted the week through a teaser video which paid tribute to our national heroes’ fight for freedom and healthcare workers’ lead role in battling the pandemic. Both embody self-sacrifice, perseverance, and courage in facing challenges, and inspire Filipinos throughout the world with their heroism.
The video link in Post’s Facebook page can be viewed through the link: https://www.facebook.com/PHinNagoya/videos/3047002545424852/.
To make the event more inclusive despite the absence of traditional face-to-face gatherings with the Consulate General’s stakeholders, the Consulate General also prepared a special video presentation to reach out to our countrymen through social media and inform them of the consular and other services available to them.
It featured pre-recorded video messages from Governor Hideaki Ohmura of Aichi Prefecture, Mayor Takashi Kawamura of Nagoya City, and Philippine Ambassador to Japan H.E. Jose C. Laurel V, all of whom conveyed their national day greetings to Filipinos in Japan.
The video presentation likewise featured messages from Filipino community leaders, students, and residents in central Japan.
The video link in Post’s Facebook page can be viewed through the link: https://www.facebook.com/PHinNagoya/videos/327083602311509/.
Livelihood and Entrepreneurship Webinars and Online Interview. In keeping with the theme of this year’s Independence Day and as part of its commitment to reach out to Filipinos in Japan, the Consulate General co-organized livelihood and entrepreneurship webinars for Filipinos Overseas (OF), in collaboration with the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO) in Tokyo and Osaka, Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Osaka, and the Department of Agriculture in Tokyo.
