TEHRAN=Filipinos from all over Iran travelled by plane, trains, buses and private cars to Tehran in unprecedented numbers and gathered at the Philippine Embassy last Friday to celebrate the 113th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine independence.

More than two hundred Filipinos, many of them have been in Iran since the early 1970s and 1980s arrived at the Embassy Chancery together with their Iranian spouses from as far as Ahvaz, Guilan, Semnan and Kish Island. The others came from various areas in Tehran and Karaj. They were warmly welcomed by embassy officials led by Charge d’ Affaires, Mariano A. Dumia and his wife Gloria and Minister and Consul General Rosario P. Lemque.
The Independence Day festivities started with the flag-raising ceremony, followed by the pledge of allegiance to the flag, and the reading of the messages of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario and H.E. President Benigno S. Aquino III by Minister and Consul General Lemque and Dumia, respectively. Also present at the celebration were the officers of the Filipino community associations in Iran as well as Father Paul Lawlor, parish priest at St. Abraham’s church in Tehran who delivered the program’s invocation.
In his welcome remarks, Dumia thanked the members of the Filipino community for their enthusiastic participation in the celebration of Philippine Independence Day as well as their active support and cooperation in all the activities of the embassy. He reminded his countrymen to be constantly guided by the ideals of the Filipino heroes who sacrificed their lives for a free and democratic Philippine republic. He stressed the significant role of Filipino expatriates and Filipino-Iranians in nation-building and in enhancing Filipino-Iranian relations.
Dumia also extolled them to do their best in their respective professions and to support the Philippine government in its task of improving the lives of all Filipinos.
A cultural program featuring Filipino folk dances and songs by embassy personnel and community members followed. At noon, a lunch of native Filipino cuisine was served to all the guests. The Filipino-Iranians said they were very happy to be invited by the embassy to the annual historic celebration and that they did not mind the long hours of travel to Tehran. Salve Faramarzi, accompanied by her Iranian husband and children travelled for almost four hours to the embassy from Semnan while Meraida “Mae” Hatami flew in from the resort island of Kish along the Persian Gulf to join the celebration.
Both Faramarzi and Hatami echoed the common sentiment of the other Filipinos when they said they “feel proud being Filipinos” after participating in the flag-raising and singing of the national anthem. They added that their memories of “home” were reminisced as they watched and enjoyed the Filipino folk dances and songs. “We became nostalgic about our beloved country,” said Faramarzi. “I miss the Philippines and I feel proud as a Filipino every time I hear the national anthem. For the first time, I felt I was in the Philippines,” said Hatami who hails from the Cagayan Valley in Northern Luzon.
Also attending the Independence Day celebration in Iran for the first time was newly arrived Dr. Manuel De Lara who joined the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) last month. He was very happy to meet many Filipinos in Iran in a short time. Many others expressed their happiness in being a part of the celebration and said the event has boosted their “love of our country” while in a foreign land. They thanked Dumia and the embassy for inviting them to participate in the special celebration.
The embassy also hosted a reception for the diplomatic corps on June 12. Honored guests from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were the Director of the First Department for Southeast Asia and Oceania, H.E. Mohammad Azad and the Deputy Director General of the General Protocol Department, H.E. Mohammad Raesi, who was formerly Iranian ambassador to the Philippines.
Among the guests from the diplomatic corps were H.E. Salah Zawawi, Ambassador of the State of Palestine and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, H.E. Archbishop Jean-Paul Gobel, Apostolic Nuncio, ambassadors and charge d’ affaires of ASEAN-member countries and many others. Officers of the Filipino community organizations also attended the reception. After a brief cultural presentation, traditional Filipino dishes were served to the guests