The Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) and other major Filipino Chinese community associations, such as the Filipino Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation (FCAAF) and others, the Manila City government and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) on June 9 Sunday morning spearheaded a pre-Independence Day civic walk called “FFCCCII Lakakad Magkaibigan.”
Started at Binondo Intramuros Bridge and also at Binondo Church at Binondo, Manila and ended at the Bonifacio and Katipunan Revolution Shrine fronting Padre Burgos Avenue, Manila.
There, the diverse groups will held a flower offering ceremony, a flag-raising ceremony, and a short program led by FFCCCII President Dr. Cecilio K. Pedro and other community leaders making speeches.
The event also celebrated the national government’s annual Filipino Chinese Friendship Day on June 9. It was on this date in 1975 in Beijing when late President Ferdinand E. Marcos and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai signed the agreement opening official diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China, ahead of even most Asian countries and even ahead of USA establishing official diplomatic ties with Beijing.
What are the objectives of FFCCCII Lakad Magkaibigan?
The Filipino Chinese community is celebrating Philippine Independence Day and committed to help sustainable, inclusive Philippine economic growth. Even during the Spanish colonial era and even without benefit of citizenship, the ethnic minority had strongly supported the anti-colonial struggle for Philippine independence with many ethnic Chinese and part-Chinese who supported the revolution such as the Chinese immigrant who became Philippine Revolution General Jose Ignacio Paua, the businessman Roman Ongpin (jailed by Spanish and American colonizers for pro-independence cause), etc. During World War II, the Filipino Chinese community actually supported and even had guerrilla forces which resisted the Japanese military invaders.
