The Philippines proudly displayed its rich and colourful culture as well as its resilience amid adversity during the Chingay Parade 2019 which was held on 15-16 February 2019 at F1 Pit Building, Singapore. The theme for this year’s parade is “Dreams Funtasia.”
The Chingay Parade, Singapore’s annual national event, is the largest street performance and float parade in Asia. Singapore President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong attended this year’s event. The street extravaganza showcased the dynamism of Singapore’s multicultural society.
The Philippine contingent, composed of 100 youngsters from the Eastern Visayas region aged between 14 and 25, performed the traditional Filipino war dance called “Dance of the Pintados.” Their performance was considered one of the highlights of Chingay and was well-applauded by Singapore government officials, diplomatic corps, foreign and local guests.
According to Mr. Jan Kairel Guillermo, artistic director and founder of LEYTeam that spearheaded the Philippines’ participation in the Chingay, “their dance demonstrated how they rose above the tragedy to emerge stronger.” All the performers were survivors of Typhoon Haiyan which brought devastation to the Eastern Visayas region in November 2013.he Philippines’ participation in the Chingay this year coincided with the celebration of the the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations between the Philippines and Singapore,” Ambassador Joseph del Mar Yap said.
The performance of the Philippine contingent was also their way of conveying their gratitude to Singapore, which provided humanitarian assistance to the region affected by Typhoon Haiyan.
Aside from the Philippines, foreign contingents from China, Indonesia, Cambodia, South Korea and Japan also joined the parade.
After the weekend parade, the Philippine contingent again performed on 17 February at Singapore’s Chinatown district to mark the end of the Chinese New Year celebration.
