he Consulate General of the Philippines in Chicago and the Filipino-American and ASEAN community warmly celebrated the 50th Founding Anniversary of ASEAN
Consul General Generoso DG Calonge, together with the Consul General Rosmalawati Chalid of the Republic of Indonesia, Deputy Consul General Siriporn Tantipanyathep of Thailand and Director Faizal Jalaludin of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority in Chicago, led the officers and staff members of the Consulates General at the Federal Plaza at 9:00 am.
The program started with the display of colors followed by singing of the ASEAN anthem led by Filipino singer and theater actor, Mr. Chip Payos. Among the over one hundred guests that gathered for the special occasion included Mr. Thomas Choi and Ms. Emily Pevnick, representatives from the Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, respectively, and Consul General Michael Wood of Australia, Deputy Consul General Yu Peng of China, Consul General Naoki Ito of Japan, and Deputy Consul General Donghan Yang of Korea, representing some of the ASEAN dialogue partners with consular posts in Chicago.
In his remarks, Consul General Generoso DG Calonge said: “This year’s theme ‘Partnering for Change, Engaging the World,’ highlights the ASEAN Community’s sense of togetherness and common identity, with more than 600 million people ready and able to take their rightful place in the community of nations. The association has matured into a community focused on economic integration, growth and consensus building, the ASEAN way. Distant and divided, the ASEAN region and the USA may be by thousands of miles and a myriad of cultural differences, it is our fervent hope that our shared principles, values, histories and aspirations would shine forth and reverberate across Middle America.”
Proclamations from Governor Bruce Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel declaring 07 August 2017 as ASEAN Day in Illinois and Chicago, respectively, were also read by their representatives.
Various cultural presentations from Indonesia (Sobrak), Philippines (Tinikling and Kappa Malong Malong) and Thailand (Manora) were also featured with traditional dresses and folk dances. Booths for information on tourism, trade and investments, and display of arts and crafts from Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand were also opened and displayed until 12:00 noon.
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