The Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) and other major Filipino-Chinese community associations, such as the Filipino Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation (FCAAF) and others, the Manila City government and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) on June 9, Sunday morning, spearheaded a pre-Independence Day civic walk called “FFCCCII Lakakad Magkaibigan,” which started both at Binondo-Intramuros Bridge and Binondo Church in Binondo, Manila and ended at the Bonifacio and Katipunan Revolution Shrine fronting Padre Burgos Avenue, Manila.
There, the diverse groups held a flower offering ceremony, a flag-raising ceremony, and a short program led by FFCCCII President Dr. Cecilio K. Pedro and other community leaders making speeches.
“Our walk today brought together participants from different sectors of the Filipino Chinese community, the major business and civic organizations, barangays, colleges, and schools, and others. This occasion is a shared celebration of our Philippine Independence Day, aimed at expressing our love for our country and fostering patriotism among our citizens,” Dr. Pedro said.
Simultaneously in the morning of June 9, the “FFCCCII Lakad Magkaibigan” civic walks were also conducted in Bacolod City, Cebu, Tacloban, and Palawan.
The event also celebrated the national government’s annual Filipino Chinese Friendship Day” on June 9. It was on this date in 1975 in Beijing when Former President Ferdinand E. Marcos and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai signed the agreement opening official diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China, ahead of even most Asian countries and even ahead of USA establishing official diplomatic ties with Beijing.
The Filipino-Chinese community is celebrating Philippine Independence Day and committed to help sustainable, inclusive Philippine economic growth. Even during the Spanish colonial era and even without benefit of citizenship, the ethnic minority had strongly supported the anti-colonial struggle for Philippine independence with many ethnic Chinese and part-Chinese who supported the revolution such as the Chinese immigrant who became Philippine Revolution General Jose Ignacio Paua and the businessman Roman Ongpin (jailed by Spanish and American colonizers for pro-independence cause), among others. During World War II, the Filipino-Chinese community actually supported and even had guerrilla forces which resisted the Japanese military invaders.
Dinner reception
Earlier on June 7, Friday night, a dinner reception was attended by over 1,200 business and civic leaders of diverse Filipino-Chinese organizations at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). This was another advance celebration of the 126th Philippine Independence Day as a yearly tradition spearheaded by the FFCCCII.
During this reception, the inaugural issue of the new Manila Galleon business magazine was also unveiled and presented to all the entrepreneurs and guests. The Manila Galleon business magazine is envisioned to be an exponent of faster and sustainable Philippine economic growth as well as international cooperation with Asia-Pacific neighbors.
The magazine got its name and inspiration from the fabled and world-famous Manila Galleon trade of 250 years which saw Manila emerge as a vital entrepot between the thriving China intercontinental trade with Latin and Central America, Europe.
