Caption: Ate Sam tells stories of the magical creatures in the Philippines.
3 August 2019, Ottawa – ABAKADA Atbp., the Philippine Embassy’s summer cultural program for children, marked its seventh year with a workshop on Filipino folklore and food traditions held on Saturday, 3 August 2019, at the Sentro Rizal Ottawa.
ABAKADA Atbp. was created to acquaint local children of Filipino descent with various aspects of Philippine culture. In previous years, the program featured Philippine dance, music, songs, games, and folktales. This year, participants aged 6 to 12 years old were treated to a mini-exhibit of Philippine mythical creatures created by renowned children’s book illustrator Frances Alcaraz. The mini-exhibit was a spin-off of Ms. Alcaraz’s ongoing showcase at the Philippine Embassy titled “Alamat – An Exhibit of Philippine Mythical Creatures.”
Ms. Samantha Narbuada facilitated a story session and took the participants through lively and engaging tales about the magical creatures in Philippine folklore. First Secretary and Consul Greg Marie Mariño taught the children Filipino words related to food as well as common phrases and sayings surrounding food traditions in the Philippines. Ms. Josephine Gonato demonstrated how to make pancit bihon (rice noodles) and taught the participants how to make their own turron (banana rolls).
Philippine Ambassador to Canada Petronila Garcia welcomed the children to the program and thanked their parents for sharing their Filipino heritage with their children. “Over the years, we have seen how the Filipino community in Canada has grown and many Filipino parents have approached us to express how important it is for their children to learn about the culture of our country,” she remarked. “I hope that this afternoon will be a meaningful experience for all of you and will further nurture your children’s love and understanding of Filipino culture.”
The event was capped with a meryenda of pancit, turron, and ube (purple yam) ensaymada.
The ABAKADA Atbp. program was conducted as one of the Philippine Embassy’s activities in commemoration of Buwan ng Wika (National Language Month). END.