Times Square has seen plenty. Movie premieres. New Year’s Eve countdowns. Giant billboards competing for attention in a place seemingly built to overwhelm the senses.
Then the Filipinos showed up.
On Saturday, dancers in traditional dress stepped onto a stage beneath the glow of towering screens. Indigenous rhythms mixed with pop music. Festival performances from across the Philippines unfolded before tourists, commuters, members of the Filipino diaspora gathered in the billboard capital of the world. For a few hours, it belonged to the Philippines.
The event, “Mabuhay, Philippines!”, marked the opening of New York’s celebrations for the 128th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the US.
Organized by the Philippine Independence Day Council Inc. with support from the Philippine Consulate General in New York, the program was billed as the first Filipino cultural showcase to take over Times Square.
PIDCI president Leah Frain called the event a milestone for the Filipino-American community, saying it offered an opportunity to share the country’s culture not only with New York City but with a global audience.
Representing Philippine Ambassador Babes Romualdez and Consul General Senen Mangalile, Deputy Consul General Adrian Elmer Cruz said the celebration reflected the enduring relationship between the Philippines and the US.
The showcase moved through a broad sweep of Philippine traditions. Performers presented the Lambayok Festival of Batangas, Sinulog and Kaliga festival dances, Tinikling, Bulaklakan, Subli and cultural performances from Maguindanao. Contemporary Filipino dance numbers followed.
Music remained at the center of the program. ABS-CBN artist Kyle Echarri and singer JMKO performed alongside soprano Kay Habana, while musicians Ramon Tenefrancia and Riley Bragg offered renditions of kundiman.
