Philippines takes center stage at Lord Mayor's Show
11/11/2011
LONDON, England - Philippine culture is taking center stage at the annual Lord Mayor's Show in the City of London with a lavish floral float and traditional folk dance street parade.
The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the biggest public events in London with an estimated 500,000 street audience, and watched by over 2 million people through a live nationwide broadcast.
The Philippines is among the 6,500 participants from 153 entities at the 2011 procession, alongside places like Hong Kong and India, as well as hundreds of British groups from various sectors like the armed forces, health services, schools and private companies.
"This is a great opportunity to showcase our culture and traditions, and we thought that this is an opportunity that we should take advantage of this year," said Reynaldo Catapang, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Philippine Embassy in London, which organized and funded the Philippine delegation.
The centerpiece of the Philippine presentation is a nature-inspired float designed by London-based Filipino graphic artist Roderick Enriquez, who also designed the 2012 Olympic Wrestling Coin.
"My inspiration is very much focusing on the natural beauty of the Philippines, bearing in mind that almost every country is promoting eco-tourism. We also have to promote other aspects of the Philippines - be it the landscape, the countryside, the fiestas - and not just the world-famous beaches that we already know," he said.
Enriquez drew ideas from the flora and fauna of his native country, as well as the "intangible qualities" of the Filipino people, from their culture to their smile and laughter.
"Considering the tight schedule and the budget for this project, we’ve come up with something incredibly presentable and worthy to present to the world," he said.
The Philippines is also presenting traditional Filipino music alongside the float, as well as traditional folk dances performed by UK-based Filipino dance company Lahing Kayumanggi.
The parade will cover 3 miles at the heart of the City of London, the hub of the finance industry in the UK.
From Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London, the procession will move towards the Royal Courts of Justice near Holborn, where a private induction ceremony will take place. St Paul's Cathedral, Fleet Street, and the Embankment are also part of the route.
The route for this year's parade was altered to accommodate the now global "Occupy" protests currently ongoing outside St Paul's Cathedral.
The Philippines is number 108 in the processional order, behind the Royal British Legion, and ahead of charity group Coming Home, both of which contribute to the welfare of the British armed forces.
The 684th Lord Mayor's Show is part of an 800-year-old British tradition, which sees each newly-elected Lord Mayor of London enter a procession on his way to pledging allegiance to the crown. This year’s newly elected Lord Mayor is Alderman David Wootton, a corporate lawyer with an extensive public service background. His main duties involve promoting and supporting the financial services of the City of London.
The Philippines is among the 6,500 participants from 153 entities at the 2011 procession, alongside places like Hong Kong and India, as well as hundreds of British groups from various sectors like the armed forces, health services, schools and private companies.
"This is a great opportunity to showcase our culture and traditions, and we thought that this is an opportunity that we should take advantage of this year," said Reynaldo Catapang, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Philippine Embassy in London, which organized and funded the Philippine delegation.
The centerpiece of the Philippine presentation is a nature-inspired float designed by London-based Filipino graphic artist Roderick Enriquez, who also designed the 2012 Olympic Wrestling Coin.
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"My inspiration is very much focusing on the natural beauty of the Philippines, bearing in mind that almost every country is promoting eco-tourism. We also have to promote other aspects of the Philippines - be it the landscape, the countryside, the fiestas - and not just the world-famous beaches that we already know," he said.
Enriquez drew ideas from the flora and fauna of his native country, as well as the "intangible qualities" of the Filipino people, from their culture to their smile and laughter.
"Considering the tight schedule and the budget for this project, we’ve come up with something incredibly presentable and worthy to present to the world," he said.
The Philippines is also presenting traditional Filipino music alongside the float, as well as traditional folk dances performed by UK-based Filipino dance company Lahing Kayumanggi.
The parade will cover 3 miles at the heart of the City of London, the hub of the finance industry in the UK.
From Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London, the procession will move towards the Royal Courts of Justice near Holborn, where a private induction ceremony will take place. St Paul's Cathedral, Fleet Street, and the Embankment are also part of the route.
The route for this year's parade was altered to accommodate the now global "Occupy" protests currently ongoing outside St Paul's Cathedral.
The Philippines is number 108 in the processional order, behind the Royal British Legion, and ahead of charity group Coming Home, both of which contribute to the welfare of the British armed forces.
The 684th Lord Mayor's Show is part of an 800-year-old British tradition, which sees each newly-elected Lord Mayor of London enter a procession on his way to pledging allegiance to the crown. This year’s newly elected Lord Mayor is Alderman David Wootton, a corporate lawyer with an extensive public service background. His main duties involve promoting and supporting the financial services of the City of London.
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