Mabuhay Philippines! Toronto summer fest ’04

Mabuhay Philippines! Toronto summer fest ’04

TORONTO-The Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC) is excited to announce that the 2004 Mabuhay Philippines Toronto Summer Festival has grown to be a weeklong celebration scheduled on August 4 to 11 happening in and around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). There are several activities planned leading up to the festival that will culminate on August 6 and 7 at the Heritage Court, National Trade Centre, Exhibition Place. Also, watch for a major concert announcement involving artists from the Philippines that will perform at the Ricoh Coliseum.

The Festival’s aim is to showcase Philippine heritage and culture to mainstream society. To support this goal, a number of events will be conducted to encourage participation from the community.
For the first time, PIDC will be working with the Filipino Community Relations Officer of the Toronto Catholic District School Board in organizing a poster contest and exhibition. Students from grades 5-12 in the GTA are invited to join in creating a poster with the theme “Mabuhay Festival” A Celebration of the Contributions by the Filipino Community to Canada.” Artworks will be exhibited during the festival at Heritage Court, be featured in community newspapers and posted on the PIDC website. Entries must be postmarked by June 15, 2004 addressed to: Jody Huang, Programs/Special Services-East Office, c/o St. Richard 970 Bellamy Road North Toronto, Ontario M1H 1H1. For contest rules, regulations and prizes, call Jody Huang at (416) 795-6517.

Another first for this year is the Mabuhay Festival Songwriting Contest. This event provides an opportunity for amateur and/or professional songwriters, singers, bands and recording artists in the Filipino-Canadian community to be heard and discovered. A committee of music industry judges will select the winners and will be chosen based on their interpretation of the theme “Unity in the Community.” Entrants must send in one original song per CD or tape clearly marked with their name and song title and should include, on a separate piece of paper, a complete mailing address, contact phone numbers, email address and lyrics to the song to: The Philippine Independence Day Council, 2828 Bathurst Street #503A, Toronto, Ontario M6B 3A7. All entries must be postmarked by June 15, 2004. For full contest details, check the PIDC website at www.pidctoronto.com

To prove once again that Filipinos are abundantly gifted, PIDC will be holding another Talent Search for the 2004 festival. Singers, dancers, bands, comedians and entertainers are welcome to audition in order to perform at this year’s event. Interested participants must register to audition by sending an email with your name, full address and phone numbers to kathreen@sympatico.ca . The location for the audition is yet to be determined but is scheduled to occur on May 16th and 30th.

Little Miss Philippines and Mabuhay Star Babies, scheduled on May 2, 2004 at Alex Manoogian – Rembrandt Hall, Progress Avenue, Scarborough, is being held in order to choose little Ambassadors of Goodwill. Participants will be invited to all PIDC events for 2004 and will be featured in the Santacruzan of this year’s festival parade. Also, a bevy of beauties are scheduled to appear at the Miss Philippines – PIDC 2004 pageant to be held on May 23, 2004 at Alex Manoogian – Rembrandt Hall. A lovely young lady will be chosen to be PIDC’s Ambassador of Goodwill to promote the Philippine culture and to showcase the beauty and talent of Filipinas.

Another PIDC event is the annual Independence Day Gala, a joint venture with the Kalayaan Filipino Cultural Organization, to be held at the International Plaza and Conference Centre, 655 Dixon Road, Etobicoke on Saturday, June 7, 2004. The gathering reinforces the unity and cooperation between two major Filipino organizations. Presidents of participating associations are urged to submit their pictures for inclusion in the gala program. For information regarding the event, please contact Jun Enverga at (416) 773-2220.

Also for the first time in festival history, The Mabuhay Cup, a basketball tournament for Ontario based Filipino athletic groups will be held over the next several months. The finals deciding the Cup winner, runner-up and third place finishers, will be determined at the Festival in August.

For more information about all the PIDC events happening in 2004, please check their website at www.pidctoronto.com . For interested vendors, please contact Pempe Saavedra at (416) 722-4149.

For inquiries about the Mabuhay Festival or any PIDC event, please send an email with your questions to kathreen@sympatico.ca or redobjl@yahoo.com