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Filipino comedian Leo Martinez and model-actress Katya Santos will be performing live in Doha for the 116th Philippine Independence Day celebration (PIDC) tomorrow at Al Wakrah Sports Club.
The Philippine embassy officials welcomed Martinez and Santos yesterday afternoon at the chancery. Before their show tomorrow, cultural performances, especially the traditional presentation of the evolution of the Philippine flag, will be highlighted during the opening ceremony.
Finalists of the “Kantahan sa Doha (singing contest),” as well as contestants of the battle of the bands, will showcase their singing prowess on stage to entertain the crowd.
The annual celebration will also feature a series of activities such as trade fair and food festival, magic shows, medical mission, face painting, car show, local tourism promotion of “Wow! Philippines” and among others.
More than a week ago, pre-PIDC events were held at the Philippine International School-Qatar for the band and singing contest eliminations. It also included a two-day cultural presentation at Hyatt Plaza.
Organisers told Gulf Times that leaders of various Filipino organisations will hold a special tribute to ambassador Crescente Relacion who is expected to leave the country by December this year.
“This celebration is dedicated to him for his active role in uniting Filipino expatriates and organisations in Qatar,” said Rannie Tanchico, the president of BalitangQ – an embassy-recognised group.
Arnel Punsalan, former president of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers-Qatar, described Relacion as a government official who never fails to be with the community and always arrives on time.
“If you speak about punctuality then the name of the ambassador always comes to my mind,” he stressed. “That is the best trait he has as a public figure aside from being approachable.”
Relacion was instrumental in creating the United Filipino Organisations in Qatar (UFOQ) aimed at fostering camaraderie and uniting Filipinos and groups in Qatar.
Organisers have urged PIDC attendees at Al Wakrah Sports Club to wear modest apparel as a show of respect to the norms, culture and tradition of Qatar.
Tanchico said they will be providing free bus service to the venue. Details have been posted on UFOQ’s Facebook page. Those who want to take the free ride should co-ordinate with Carlo Balacdao ([email protected]) or call 66784519.
The annual flag-raising ceremony led by Relacion and embassy officials will be held at 6:30am today at the Philippine chancery in the Jelaiah area.
The “Almusal ng Bayan (breakfast of the community)” and poster-making contest will follow the programme.