2 March 2017 – The Philippine Consulate General in Calgary is spearheading plans for a grand Philippine Independence Day Picnic to be held on 17 June 2017 at the Peace Hills Park in Wetaskiwin, Alta., along with Filipino community organizations throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan.  The picnic will also jointly celebrate the 150^th Anniversary of Canada’s Confederation.

 

“The Consulate intends for this picnic to be the first of an annual event for the Filipino communities of Alberta and Saskatchewan, an opportunity for Filipinos all over the areas of our jurisdiction to celebrate our Independence Day, meet their compatriots, re-establish old friendships and form new ones,” Consul General Julius D. Torres said at the third coordination meeting held at the Consulate on 28 February 2017.

 

“This year, being the 150^th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation, the picnic will also be a celebration of this milestone as a united manifestation of the gratitude of the Filipino communities for the opportunities provided to them by Canada,” he added.

 

Consul General Torres stated that Wetaskiwin was chosen as the venue of the picnic as its location between Edmonton and Calgary provides greater convenience for those coming from different areas of Alberta as well as those from Saskatchewan, and said that the Consulate intends that future Independence Day picnics would be held in different localities within Alberta and Saskatchewan every year.

 

The coordination meeting was attended by Filipino community leaders from Wetaskiwin, Edmonton, Calgary and other areas in Alberta. They organized themselves into several committees tasked with the different responsibilities to ensure that the picnic would be a success. Among the topics discussed were:

 

·      Location:                 The event’s Logistics Committee, with the close coordination of the Filipino Community in Wetaskiwin as well as the City of Wetaskiwin, will ensure the readiness of the venue and the event follows municipal guidelines.

 

·      Food:                       To save costs, each Filipino community organization will be responsible for the food of their members, and it will be up to them if they wish to provide extra food to be shared with other attendees.  The Consulate General will also be contributing some food.

 

·      Entertainment:       The event’s Program Committee will be coordinating with different Filipino community organizations to encourage participating in the program.  The Committee will also be responsible for organizing games for children.

 

It was also agreed that the members of the Logistics Committee will undertake an ocular inspection of the venue in Wetaskiwin on Saturday, 4 March 2017, and that the next coordination meeting, where the different committees will report of the status of their preparations, will be held in Wetaskiwin on 25 March 2017.