111th Philippine Independence at the Philippine Embassy in Athens

The June 12 Philippine Independence Day in Athens started with an early morning Flag Raising Ceremony at the Philippine Embassy, the Officers and Staff wore their traditional Filipino wear to commemorate the event. 111 years ago, 12th June 1898, between four and five in the afternoon, General Emilio Aguinaldo declared the independence of the Philippines from the Spaniards at the balcony of his residence in Cavite el Viejo (now Kawit). Also for the first time, the Philippine flag was hoisted and the National Anthem was played in public.
The grand celebration was held at the Ambassador’s Residence with the members of the diplomatic core, the honorary consuls: stunning half Filipina Shemaine Bushnell Kyriakides in Cyprus, Nikolaos Margaropoulos in Thessaloniki and Anastasia Manolopoulou in Patras were in attendance. The representatives of the Filipino communities were also present, as well as the teachers in the Filipino School, Kaphilca. Other guests include: the famous TV personality Psinakis, businessmen from the shipping industry, ladies from the Women’s International Club, and friends of the Philippine Embassy. A guesstimate of about 300 attended this event.
The Ambassador’s Residence was transformed into a gallery to showcase the Philippine paintings; a video presentation about the Philippines was shown on the other side of the room. The guests were received in the foyer then were led to the garden.
The big garden was lit with torches, good thing it was a breezy summer solstice that day; the guests were enjoying themselves with good food and friends; in the background the air was filled with different Filipino music.
Filipino cuisine was presented to the guests. There was Pancit Canton, fried Chicken Adobo, Pork Barbeque, Longanisa Sticks, Siopao, Shanghai rolls, and a lot more. The famous San Miguel beer was a definite hit to the foreigners. The buko juice was mistaken for milk but it was gone, too. Even a halo-halo corner was set up for the pleasure of those who are curious about it. Mediterranean food was also offered on the opposite side. Overall, it was a feast, a typical Pinoy fiesta night in the city of Athens. Congratulations to the PE Athens for a very successful celebration. Mabuhay!