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Paris PE Personnel at assembled at Place du Trocadero before the “Pista sa Paris” parade

05 July 2022, Paris – The Filipino Community umbrella organization, Comité Général des Association Philippines en France (CGAPF) in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy, celebrated “Pista sa Paris” on 2 to 3 July 2022 at the Stade de la Muette in Paris, France. The event commemorated the 124th Declaration of Philippine Independence and the 75th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between the Philippines and France.

This year’s “Pista sa Paris” was a two-day event kicked-off with a sportsfest on 2 July 2022 featuring competing teams in basketball, volleyball and darts.

The 3 July 2022 event began with a parade from Place du Trocadero, led by the First Filipino Marching Drumband, to the Stade de la Muette. Over one hundred participants from various Filipino organizations, including beauty pageant contestants with their Santacruzan arko, waved Philippine flaglets and swayed to the beat of the Drumband. The parade attracted curious and appreciative looks from pedestrians and Parisian residents with some even taking videos.

HE Ambassador Junever M. Mahilum-West with her spouse Mr. John West flanked by the flag bearers

HE Ambassador Junever M. Mahilum-West (11th from right) with CGAPF President Dennis Mana-ay (10th from right) other CGAPF Officers and Members

The events held at the Stade began with a formal program which included the reading of the Independence Day Messages of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and former Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr.

HE Ambassador Junever M. Mahilum-West, in addition to her Independence Day greetings, also invited the Filipino Community to participate in the 75th Anniversary commemorative events.

The formal program likewise included the awarding ceremony of Ms. Nancy De Jesus, 2021 Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas (PAFIOO) Banaag Awardee.

Ambaasador Junever M. Mahilum-West with Banaag Awardee Ms. Nancy de Jesus (left)

After the formal program, the festivities continued with traditional and contemporary Filipino songs and dances and English and French musical numbers. The Philippine Embassy personnel sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow, accompanied by a ukulele trio led by Ambassador Mahilum-West.

The event also featured the Mutya ng Kalayaan Pageant which comprising 11 muses fielded by various Filipino organizations.

Stalls selling Filipino delicacies and other services were distributed in the Stade and found many eager customers craving for a taste of home.

“Pista sa Paris” began as a small gathering in a community church in the early 1990’s oftentimes in collaboration with the Philippine Embassy and the chaplaincy. It has since found a seemingly permanent home at the Stade de la Muette and expanded to the fiesta that it is now. The “Pista sa Paris,” like many large public gatherings, went into a two-year hiatus (2020 and 2021) due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

This event is the flagship project of CGAPF which was founded in 2007 and is the umbrella organization of 26 Filipino community groupings in France.

More information on Pista sa Paris may be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxpDBXJ-anI&t=3s . Photo credit: Jan Levent END

05 July 2022 - Philippine Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO H.E. Junever M. Mahilum-West was elected Chairperson of the ninth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), currently being held from 05 to 07 July 2022 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.

The General Assembly shall discuss important topics for the safeguarding of the global living heritage, and for the future of the Convention, particularly: the examination of the 46 accreditation requests of non-governmental organizations, the global reflection on the listing mechanisms of the Convention and proposed revisions to the Operational Directives, the use of the resources of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, the election of the 12 members of the Intergovernmental Committee, and the proposed revisions to the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly, among others. PH ratified the ICH Convention on 06 August 2006, which now has 180 States Parties. END.

MInisters of Education at the Transforming Education Pre-Summit

29 June 2022 - Hon. Secretary of Education Leonor Magtolis-Briones led the Philippine delegation to the Pre-Summit of the Transforming Education Summit held on 28-30 June 2022 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. The Pre-Summit aims to harness the evolving discussions on transforming education and elaborate initial content and recommended actions for the Summit which will be held in September 2022 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Department of Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis-Briones (leftmost) delivering the Philippine Statement during the Transforming Education Pre-Summit Ministerial Roundtable

Sec. Briones participated in the Ministerial Roundtables where the consequences of the pandemic to education was discussed. She conveyed that "we did not only have learning losses… we also had learning gains, very significant learning gains and this is because we had to innovate, we had to create, we had to respond, and we had to continue the process of education whether Covid was there or not."

On the topic of identifying key elements in transforming education, she shared that there is a need to (a) assess the responsiveness of the organizational structure of the ministries in charge of education; (b) ensure that all segments of the society are engaged in transforming education and (c) ensure that there is respect for the cultural uniqueness of all learners. She concluded with emphasizing that sustainable funding, deeper engagement of local government units and strategic planning to ensure coordinated response and direction are imperative to transforming education. She concluded her intervention with a statement that “education is not the sole and exclusive responsibility of the ministries of education. It is the responsibility of societies, of local government units, of parents, of communities and all those who believe that our learners deserve the future that they want." END

H.E. Ambassador Junever Mahilum-West (second from right). Second Secretary and Consul Joyce Camacho Quivooij (extreme left) and performers Lara Maigue and Franco Maigue join the toast in Pinto Art Museum via Zoom link

 28 June 2022, Paris - The Philippine Embassy in Paris joined the launch event of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and France via Zoom link on 26 June 2022.  The live event was hosted by the French Embassy in Manila at the Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo.

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locson, Jr., Madame Maria Lourdes B. Locsin and Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro were among the guests of honor.

 The toast as seen by guests at the Pinto Art Museum.

Speaking from the Philippine Embassy, Ambassador Junever Mahilum-West enumerated the Embassy's major events to commemmorate the jubilee year.  Among them were the exhibit "Macario Vitalis: Un peintre Philippin en France" (Macario Vitalis: A Filipino Painter in France) in partnership with the City of Puteaux open from 10 April to 05 June 2022; "Philifolies" in partnership with Pinoy Jam Association Paris at the Fête de la Musique on 21 June 2022, and the installation of the bust of Dr. Jose Rizal on 23 June 2022.

Ambassador Mahilum-West speaking from the Philippine Embassy in Paris

The Ambassador remarked that “this year promises to be a banner year for the bilateral relations between France and the Philippines as we honor our historic past and look forward to the future together.”

After the Ambassador’s speech, guests in Manila were treated to a performance by soprano Lara Maigue and guitarist Franco Maigue. The award-winning classical artists performed Nicanor Abelardo’ Mutya ng Pasig, live from the Philippine Embassy in Paris. END

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