The 117th Philippine Independence Day celebration took place all over the Philippines on June 12 and Filipino communities around the world on different dates with President Benigno S. Aquino III leading the rites on the morning of June 12 for the flag-raising ceremony held at the front of the Santa Barbara Church and Convent in the town of Santa Barbara, Iloilo. President Aquino along with National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Chair Serena Diokno and AFP Chief of Staff General Gregorio Catapang then proceed for a wreath laying ceremony at the monument of General Martin Teofilo Delgado who raised the Philippine flag at the Santa Barbara convent in front of the jubilant Filipinos the first outside Luzon on November 17, 1898 to formally declare independence from Spain. He later became the first governor of Iloilo under the American regime in 1901. The President then deliver his speech in front of the Santa Barbara church following the speech of the Governor of Iloilo Arthur Defensor Sr. then recovering from his illness and Senate President Franklin M. Drilon.
After the ceremony in Santa Barbara and short tour and inspection of the newly restored Santa Barbara church and convent, the traditional Vin D'Honneur (Wine of Honor) or wine toasting followed minutes later at the newly renovated Casa Real or the Old Provincial Capitol of Iloilo building. High ranking government officials, cabinet secretaries, congressmen, governors, prominent and influential personalities and seventy-five (75) members of the diplomatic corps which consists of ambassadors representing different countries of the world and international organizations representatives based in the Philippines headed by the dean of the diplomatic corps, Apostolic Papal Nuncio Giuseppe Pinto attended the celebration and the glittering vin d'honneur event at the old capitol.
Here are the countries which are represented by their ambassadors and the international organizations based in the Philippines with their representatives which attended the event in Iloilo:
1. Papua New Guinea
2. Brunei Darussalam
3. Bahrain
4. United Arab Emirates
5. Morocco
6. Lesotho
7. Iran
8. Australia
9. Qatar
10. Nigeria
11. France
12. Bangladesh
13. Malaysia
14. Italy
15. Egypt
16. Gabon
17. Uruguay
18. Mexico
19. Belgium
20. Vietnam
21. Canada
22. United States
23. India
24. Oman
25. Turkey
26. China
27. Indonesia
28. Germany
29. Uganda
30. Armenia
31. Spain
32. Chile
33. Israel
34. Norway
35. Japan
36. Argentina
37. Panama
38. Netherlands
39. South Africa
40. New Zealand
41. Laos
42. Saudi Arabia
43. Thailand
44. Greece
45. Singapore
46. Russia
47. Korea
48. Tunisia
49. Palestine
50. Colombia
51. Trinidad and Tobago
52. Ghana
53. Luxembourg
54. Georgia
55. Malta
56. Angola
57. Cambodia
58. Czech Republic
59. Libya
60. Romania
61. Switzerland
62. Timor Leste
63. Venezuela
64. EU - European Union
65. UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund
66. UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
67. WFP - World Food Programme
68. UNRefugees - United Nations Refugees
69. UN FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
70. WHO - World Health Organization
71. World Bank
72. International Finance Corp
73. Migration
74. UN Population
75. Apostolic Papal Nuncio - Dean of the Diplomatic Corps
To watch the 117th Philippine Independence Day celebration in Santa Barbara, Iloilo click on the following link to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgdtkCLXiPw
To watch the Vin D'Honneur event at the Casa Real or the Old Provincial Capitol of Iloilo, click on the following link to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKES0yVy-rg
Photo Source:
USP Philippines
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