Individuals from and leaders of Filipino and Filipino-British organisations in the United Kingdom were instrumental in the success of the Dinner and Dance Party held by the European Network of Filipino Diaspora, United Kingdom (ENFiD-UK) on 7th October 2017 at Holiday Inn, Kensington Forum, London.
The event’s theme was dubbed as “A Night of Celebration, Bonded for the Filipino Nation,” a time in which, once again, leaders and members of the Filipino community gather to further strengthen the bond of Filipino nationalism, camaraderie, charity and volunteerism.
After the singing of the Philippine and British national anthems, and opening prayer led by Regin Dullas, ENFiD-UK ex-Officio Trustee, Christian Estrada, ENFiD-UK Chairperson gave his opening remarks and welcome address. The occasion was made eventful by the presence of His Excelency Antonio Manuel R. Lagdameo, Philippine Ambassador to the UK, who came with his better half, the former Miss Maria Linda Floirendo.
Ambassador Lagdameo inspired the crowd with his keynote address where he lauded ENFiD-UK as the most active and most dynamic among ENFiD country chapters and challenged its leaders to continue to forge its plans and programs for the years to come. He also congratulated ENFiD-UK for the successful creation of Young ENFiD or YENFiD by encouraging young Filipinos and British-Filipinos to join its ranks.
YENFiD-UK was able to send its representatives to the 2017 ENFiD Annual General Assembly in Essen, Germany held from September 29 to October 1, 2017. For his parting words, Ambassador Lagdameo encouraged everyone to be ambassadors of good things that are happening in the Philippines in this “era of fake news and sensationalism” and “to shine the light of things that work, positive changes that have been achieved, and lives that are improved by policies and initiatives being implemented on the ground.”
After his speech, Amabssador Lagdameo officiated the charging and oath-taking of the following ENFiD-UK officers:
Chairperson: Christian Estrada
Deputy Chairperson: Novo-Mar Ramos
Vice-Chairpersons:
for England: Madelyn Richardson
for Wales: Leny Cordero
for Scotland: Ronald Sipat
for Northern Ireland: Glenn Mapanao
Secretary: Petmyla Arceño
Assistant Secretary: Mathie Smith
Treasurer: Maria Basford
Assistant Treasurer: Ronald Sipat (concurrent capacity)
Auditor: Ruby Ibalio
Assistant Auditor: Yvette Castillo
Press Relations and Communications Officer: Moises Española
Assistant Press Relations and Communications Officer: Ronnie Del Barrio
Another highlight of the programme was the special presentation of the popular dance group, Lahing Kayumanggi, with its showcase of Philippine native dances in colourful attire.
The event was masterfully steered to its successful course by Junart Kim Nieva as the host.