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500 people to form into RP flag to climax Kapangyawan

31 March 2016

By Vir B. Lumicao

Preparations are under way for the Kapangyawan Friendship Festival on June 12 this year, with organizers saying there will be unique features in this year’s celebration of the annual event that was launched three years ago.
The technical working group for the event disclosed this in a meeting with Filcom leaders and media on Mar 13 at the Consulate public hall.
Kapangyawan is a colorful pageantry of native dancing, music and food to usher in the celebration of the 118th anniversary of Philippine Independence.
Organizers say that for the first time, festivities will include a choreographed performance by 500 dancers to form a giant Philippine flag as the highlight of the celebration.
The festival will also feature a 30-minute performance of the Hong Kong Police Marching Band, 10 minutes longer than last year. It will be climaxed with a regional food competition where the regional booth that sees its prepared menu consumed first wins and gets a cash prize.
As in the past three years, this year’s working group consists of the Consulate, Philippine Association of HK and Philippine alliance.
However, vice consul Alex Vallespin who heads the cultural section said the event is open to all Filipino community groups. “We do not choose which group is welcome, everybody’s welcome, everyone can participate,” he said.
As June 12, the exact date of the Philippine Independence Day anniversary falls on a Sunday this year, the celebration is expected to be especially big. “(This means) we can celebrate Kapangyawan festival with the entire Filipino community,” said Vallespin.
The celebration will open with an interfaith mass to be celebrated by Hong Kong’s archbishop, Cardinal John Tong, together with Fr. Jay Flandez. This will be followed by a parade, regional cultural dances, and street dance numbers to be capped by a band concert courtesy of the Hong Kong Musicians Union.
The parade participants comprising various Filcom groups will come from three points: Bus No 13 stop beside City Hall, Chater Garden and Chater Road, beside Alexandra House.
The parade will begin with a “Parade of Colors” by Black Panther Musang International Martial Arts Society and the Mindanao Federation band and Vizmin Music and Dance Ensemble right behind the flag bearers.
Cultural troupes of 120 dancers making up the Cordillera suite, Maria Clara suite, Southern Islands suite, and Barrio Fiesta suite will provide a colorful spectacle of costumes and dances in “Sayaw Pinoy”.
Up next will be the Hong Kong Police Marching Band which will play martial music for a segment that has been extended due to popular demand. An assortment of street dances will follow to promote festivals from Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. For Luzon, it will be the Ilocos region’s Pamulinawen, Dinagyang for the Visayas, and Sinalag for Mindanao.
But the human monogram in which 500 dancers will form the Philippine flag along Chater Road will be the main spectacle. The celebration will be capped by a band concert before the program ends at 2:30pm to give way to a variety show.
Another first for this year’s celebration of Kapangyawan will be the regional food competition where groups from the country’s various regions will prepare and feed the hungry performers at eight booths on Chater Road.
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