Perth, Australia – Fast growing Filipino community has celebrated Filipino talent during the 121st Philippine Independence Day Ball at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre in Western Australia.
The event was organized by the Philippine Consulate in Perth and Filipino community organizations, where around 600 people were in attendance.
From song, dance, fashion and food, the Independence Day Ball showcased the range of Filipino talent and ingenuity, said a statement issued from Embassy of Philippine.
Mandurah Oz.Fil Cultural Dance Group performed the traditional Filipino dance ‘singkil’ to open the event.
Candice Adea, the first Filipino soloist of the West Australia Ballet, performed an excerpt from The Nutcracker. Filipino designer Femia Buendia’s fashion creations were modelled a diverse group of young people from Models and Pageant (MAP).
Headlining the event was Filipino-Australia Cyrus Villanueva, who gained popularity in Australia’s pop culture as the winner of X-Factor Australia.
To complete the experience, Filipino-Australian chef Oliver Buenviaje delivered a three-course degustation highlighting the best of Filipino cuisine.
Philippine Ambassador to Australia, Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega attended the event as the guest of honour. This was her first Philippine Independence Day event with the Filipino community in Australia since she assumed her role as Ambassador in November 2018.
Mr. Kevin Puertollano, descendant of one of the first Filipinos in Australia, delivered a heart-warming acknowledgement of country bringing awareness to the stories of indigenous Australians of Filipino descent.
The Western Australia State Government and Federal Government were well represented with the presence of Mr. Chris Tallentire MLA, representative of Premier Mark McGowan, Dr. Mike Nahan MLA, Leader of the Opposition, and Mr. Tony Krsticevic MLA, who all showed support for the contributions of Filipinos to Australia’s social and economic development.
