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25 June 2024, Ottawa –  The Philippine Embassy in Canada, led by Ambassador Maria Andrelita S. Austria, joined the Filipino-Canadian community in Ottawa for the annual Philippine Independence Day Gala on Saturday, 22 June 2024, held at Centurion Conference and Event Center in Ottawa. The event was organized by the Philippine Independence Committee of the Ottawa Valley (PICOV) and attended by Filipino and Canadians showing off their formal attire in Filipiniana and Barong Tagalog.

Led by PICOV’s chairperson, Ms. Nora Arriola, the gala was held to commemorate Philippine Heritage Month and the 126th  Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence.

As guest speaker, Philippine Ambassador to Canada, H.E. Maria Andrelita Austria, encouraged the community to become agents of positive change, to be a voice in the community and a voice in the political life of Canada, to step up, and to speak about the issues that are important to Filipinos such as better conditions for temporary foreign workers, the recognition of foreign credentials, and the establishment of Filipino cultural centers around Canada.

The Gala’s program included the presentation of the Independence Day message of Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and Philippine tourism videos, performances by the Philippine Dance Troupe of Ottawa (PDTO), and song and dance by local Filipino-Canadian artists. PICOV awarded various raffle prizes during the program. END.