12 June 2019, Ottawa – In the morning of Wednesday, 12 June 2019, Ottawa City Hall conducted a flag-raising ceremony in commemoration of the 121st Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence and Filipino Heritage Month at its Marion Dewar Plaza on Laurier Street.

Present during the ceremony were Mayor Jim Watson, Member of Parliament Chandra Arya, Global Affairs Canada Director General Ian Burchett, members of the Filipino community of Ottawa, and officers and staff of the Embassy of the Philippines in Canada led by Ambassador Petronila Garcia.

The Himig Pilipino Chorale Ensemble consecutively sang the Philippine and Canadian National Anthems as the Philippine flag was raised.

Ambassador Garcia thanked the City of Ottawa for recognizing the many contributions of the Filipino community in Ottawa and for observing Philippine Independence Day and Filipino Heritage Month. She noted that the year 2019 also marks the 70th Anniversary of Philippines-Canada Relations and invited the audience to celebrate this milestone with the Philippine Embassy. END.