PH Independence Day at Alameda City Hall set for June 3

ALAMEDA, California — A flag ceremony, entertainment, spoken word and Filipino food will mark the 5^th year that Alameda marks Araw Ng Kalayaan – Philippine Independence Day at Alameda City Hall on Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m.

What:  Philippine Independence Day Commemoration

Where:  Alameda City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Ave.

When:  Saturday, June 3, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Open to Public, Free

Throughout the world, Philippine Independence Day ceremonies mark the date of June 12, 1898 when Spanish rule of the Philippines ended.

This year, the event will mark the 75^th anniversary of the Bataan Death March in which over 100,000 American and Filipino soldiers were forced to walk 60 miles to a prisoner of war camp after surrendering to the Japanese Imperial Army– a largely unreported chapter of American WWII history.  Over 10 percent of the soldiers perished during this march.  Cecilia Gaerlan, Executive Director of the Bataan Legacy Historical Society will provide an update on efforts to include this history in public school curriculum.

The Philippine Independence Day event will also mark the 2^nd anniversary of the Alameda-Dumaguete Sister City relationship, and introduce the three new committees formed to begin the process of a sister city relationship – Yeongdong-gun, Korea; Varazze, Italy; and Wadi Foquin, Palestine.

Emcee of the event is Alameda resident Benjamin Reyes who was recently appointed to the Contra Costa Superior Court and the first American of Filipino ancestry to be appointed to the superior court in 30 years.

The event is sponsored by the Philippine Independence Day Organizing Committee-Alameda and co-sponsored by Alameda Sister City Association, Filipino Advocates for Justice, and the American Center of Philippine Arts.  The community partners are: Bohol Circle, Inc.; Bayanihan Youth Group of Encinal HS; and the Bataan Legacy Historical Society