Philippines Day celebrated in Gwangju

Members of the Gwangju and South Jeolla Province Philippine community hold a parade during the Gwangju Philippines Day event in Gwangju's Geullin Park, May 28. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

By Arlo Matisz

Drizzling rain and a cloudy sky could not dampen spirits on Gwangju Philippines Day, organized by the Gwangju-Jeonnam Philippine Community (GJPC). Music, food and pageantry provided a festive atmosphere despite the inclement weather on May 28 in Unam-dong's Geullin Park.

Members of the Gwangju and South Jeolla Province Philippine community march in a parade during the Gwangju Philippines Day event in Gwangju's Geullin Park, May 28. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

Bright colors and smiles abounded during the parade which opened the festivities and the cultural dance competition which came later in the morning. Several contingents also prepared decorated booths promoting different regions of the Philippines.

The Cordillera performance included a banging gong and a clashing of shields in mock combat. They won first prize in the booth competition.

Members of the Gwangju and South Jeolla Province Philippine community pose in costume during the Gwangju Philippines Day event on May 28. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

The Gwangju Filipino Catholic Community (GFCC) depicted an exorcism in a dramatic performance that included elements of the Santacruzan, which commemorates the finding of the True Cross and is held on the last day of May. Their performance earned them first place in the cultural dance competition, the biggest event of the day, which garnered a 1 million won prize and a great deal of celebration.

After the cultural dances and a short concert, children and adults played games, including a very dramatic sack race. At the same time, participants mingled around the various booths which had been set up from early morning representing the different participating regions and clubs as well as sponsors of the event offering community services.

Members of the Gwangju Filipino Catholic Community pose with their prize during during the Gwangju Philippines Day event in Gwangju's Geullin Park, May 28. They won first place in the cultural dance competition. Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

The most popular booth by far was providing food to the hungry crowd. Joanne Pagaduan and Lee Jin-haeng, alongside their son Lee Ju-yong, a gentle giant with a friendly enthusiasm, who looked like he would be equally comfortable in a ssireum ring, busily worked together with several volunteers to pack and serve lunch boxes to the crowd, offering a variety of tantalizing treats native to the Philippines.

Their store and restaurant KP Line has been operated in a series of locations since 2005. The most recent location in Gwangju's Songjeong has been open for the last 12 years. While many of their customers are Filipinos, they also cater to Koreans who have visited or lived in the Philippines and developed a taste for the unique cuisine, as well as the ever-popular San Miguel beer.

Members of the Gwangju Filipino Catholic Community perform in the cultural dance competition during during the Gwangju Philippines Day event in Gwangju's Geullin Park, May 28. They won first place. Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

The Korean Office of the Philippines Department of Tourism (PDOT), had a booth advertising an innovative program to incentivize Filipinos in Korea to bring their friends to visit the homeland. "This program is called Bisita, Be My Guest," said Jake Velasco, a marketing officer at PDOT. "Filipinos residing in Korea can invite their Korean or foreign friends to visit the Philippines. The Filipinos who invite them, called the sponsor, will get a chance to win condominiums and round trips to the Philippines."

Not all of the booth operators were Filipino. Han Jae-dong is the education team leader for the Gwangju Support Center for Foreign Workers, which has a booth to promote the center to foreign workers. He explained the center gives foreign workers comprehensive education options, offering classes in Korean language, computer, safety, law and health promotion.

Members of the Gwangju and South Jeolla Province Philippine community pose in front of a booth for Philippine Grace Christian Church during the Gwangju Philippines Day event in Gwangju's Geullin Park, May 28. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

Two of the brightest outfits belonged to the emcees. For the second year in a row, PJ Baybay and Dessa Ruis held the crowd's attention all through hours of announcements, events and contests.

"It's always great to see everyone full of colors and traditions. Actually, this is about promoting our culture, promoting our festivities in the Philippines. We have a lot of festivals. By doing this for Philippines Independence Day, it promotes more about the culture," Baybay said.

Ruis had a positive outlook over the course of the day. "The weather today is gloomy, it is raining, but I can say it was still successful, and everyone is having fun and enjoying the festivities."

Baybay explained with some degree of regret that this was his last time as emcee, as he was preparing to leave Gwangju after five years. He then introduced a young man new to the city, as if to show how the community carries on.

Mark Arnelle had just arrived in Gwangju last October, and with a grin, he explained how he feels about his new job in one of Gwangju's key manufacturing industries. "It's good," he said. "The salary can change your life. Our work is assembling molds for car parts."

Asked how Gwangju has helped him settle, his answer came naturally. "Our Catholic Filipino community. I'm a choir member, and I really love it. It's good because I have many friends here and they have become my family."

Members of the Igmamuro Swagger Dance Troupe pose during during the Gwangju Philippines Day event in Gwangju's Geullin Park, May 28. They were the first runner up in the dance competition. Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

GJPC President Sheryl Diaz, who gave the day's opening remarks, described the event's importance. "I want to share to Koreans that we still remember our Independence Day. And of course, even though we get married to Koreans, we should still remember our culture and traditions. We have lots of traditions in our country. We have fiesta, very big celebrations in every city of our country. The cultural dance competition presented from different regions. We want to share the feelings like in our country. We want to share it with others, not just for us, but also for our kids."

Asked how the government can help promote multiculturalism, GJPC auditor Kim Su-min suggested, "To give us a space to celebrate it. By promoting it. Maybe a channel, to promote not just the Philippines, but all the other expats living in Korea, to express what their country has, so that Korea can also see it."

GJPC adviser Anna Lissa Rubio Bahay added, "These activities are a part of our mission at the GJPC. One of our missions is to connect all of the Filipinos across Korea. Filipinos really love society and togetherness. We don't have our families. We feel at home with Filipinos. It's not easy to live in a foreign country, without our family. When we see each other, since we don't have family here, we become family. These activities are a visible reminder and recognition that we exist. We mothers have this strength to contribute in the community. This shows our personality, that we are a friendly, loving people, and if someone needs help, we are always willing to lend a hand."

Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Maria Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega gives a speech during the Gwangju Philippines Day event in Gwangju's Geullin Park, May 28. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Maria Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega made her second appearance at Gwangju's Philippines Day. "May and June are very important months for the Filipino community because we celebrate Philippine Heritage Month in May, Philippine Flag Day starting May to June and of course our Independence Day is in the month of June," she said. "It's very important to rally our community here in Korea, especially at this very critical juncture where Korea is becoming more and more open to the concepts of diversity, inclusivity and multiculturalism. I think it's very important for different migrant communities to make their presence felt, to be cooperative and constructive and very positive forces in the larger community and to build these networks of support and cooperation and inclusion."

Arlo Matisz is an economics professor at Chosun University and the host of GFN's talk show "This Morning Gwangju," which broadcasts from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekday mornings.