04 December 2013 – The Philippine Embassy in Athens celebrated the 150^th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio on November 30 at the Chancery. A two-part program was held with a flag-raising ceremony and pledging allegiance to the Philippine flag with the “Panunumpa sa Watawat” by the Embassy officers and staff led by Ambassador Meynardo LB. Montealegre.

The second part of the program was held in the evening, with Ambassador Montealegre delivering a short message to the Filipino community on Andres Bonifacio’s contribution to the quest for the independence of the Philippines. He invited the Filipino community members to listen to the musical version of Bonifacio’s well known poem” Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa.” This was followed by the reading of the 12 stanzas of the same poem by the representatives of the different Filipino community organizations in Athens.

The Embassy also uploaded in its website the official logo of Bonifacio’s 150^th birth anniversary and requested the Philippine School in Greece to hold school activities commemorating the occassion. Post also provided the school with a CD containing the exhibit on Andres Bonifacio and illustrated books on his life.

For the month of November, the Embassy also displayed posters depicting the timeline of Andres Bonifacio’s life at the Consular Section of the Embassy for the viewing of the general public.  END

dfa.gov.ph