The Philippine Embassy here celebrated Asia’s oldest democracy on the 115th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence and the 18th Filipino Migrant Worker’s Day at Incheon Samsan World Gymnasium on June 2.

Thousands of people came out to the all-day event to enjoy the sunny weekend weather, as well as food, friends and fun. The festival also showcased the contribution of the estimated 60,000 Filipinos living and working here to promoting a multicultural Korea, organizers said.

The celebration is noteworthy because the Philippines is Asia’s oldest democracy and the country is well known for its robust civil society.

This year’s celebration had the theme of “Bayani Ako,” which in Tagalog means “I am a hero,” in honor of Incheon Mayor Song Young-gil, who hosted the festival.

Incheon City dedicated the entirety of its annual budget for multiculturalism to hosting this year’s Filipino Migrant Worker’s Day festival.

Another theme of this year’s celebration was “Bayanihan sa Korea,” which means “Cooperation in Korea,” and refers to cooperation between the Filipino community here and the Korean government over the concerns among resident Filipinos due to heightened inter-Korean tensions earlier this year.

(ephilip2011@heraldcorp.com)