Report: Pinoys in UAE to celebrate PHL Independence Day

The Filipino community and Filipino churches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will hold a special celebration to mark the 113th Philippine Independence Day in June. Although the official date of the Philippine Independence Day is June 12, Sunday, the celebration in UAE will be held on June 10, Friday. In UAE, Fridays and Saturdays are set aside as weekend breaks from regular work. Sunday is a workday in that country. The celebration on June 10 will be held at the Al Shabab Sports Club in the backside of Century Mall in Deira, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., the news site Khaleej Times reported Wednesday. Philippine Consul-General Benito Valeriano will be the keynote speaker at the opening program of the day-long affair. Analiza Concepcion, chairperson of the Filipino Community (FILCOM), said this is the first time that the celebration will be done by some 10,000 Filipinos in Dubai and nearby emirates. “Filipino expatriates, who are interested to donate in cash and in kind for the victims of natural disaster in the Philippines and Japan and civil unrest in the GCC, will be accepted by the FILCOM to be later handed over to the UAE Red Crescent," Concepcion said. She said free community services will be extended by FILCOM, an umbrella group of 63 various Filipino organizations accredited by the Philippine Consulate-General. Some of the activities include: