The Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FCCCII) assured closer bond between the Filipino and Chinese communities in the celebration of the annual Spring Festival which is one of the major community-led activities in the city.
The city government and the Filipino-Chinese community will be celebrating the 25th annual Spring Festival in the city which started way back in 1998 followed by the institutionalization of the annual event by virtue of Ordinance No. 018, series of 1999.
Peter Ng, FCCCII president, said that the assimilation and blending of the 2 unique cultures through the annual celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year will definitely promote unity, peace and prosperity for all the people living in the city.
Further, Filipinos and Chinese should welcome the Year of the Water Rabbit with much ambition, vigor and strength to be able to achieve the common goal and objective of unity and friendship among the two communities.
Last Monday, the city government and the Filipino-Chinese community formally launched the annual celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year which will be highlighted by the upcoming grand colorful parade on Friday, January 27, 2023 which will start at the top of Session Road and will end at the Melvin Jones football ground.
Ng lauded the sustained partnership displayed by the city government and concerned stakeholders in the successful conduct of the annual festival that is one of the city’s major attractions right at the start of the year to help boost ongoing efforts to gradually and safely revive the heavily-impacted local economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to him, the goals and objectives of the annual celebration of the Chinese New Year is to promote better understanding and cooperation between the Filipino and Chinese communities in order to strengthen their historical friendship and unity as peoples.
He extended an open invitation to everyone to actively participate in the various activities lined up for this year’s annual celebration of the Spring Festival to help in boosting the established relationship between the Filipinos and Chinese, especially those residing in the city.
He also assured residents and visitors alike that the annual activities of the Chinese Lunar New Year will be fun-filled to jumpstart the in-person conduct of gatherings after more than 2 years of the implementation of community quarantine restrictions that barred the conduct of face-to-face gatherings to prevent the rapid spread of COVID-19 which might unduly stress the health workers and compromise the local health care system.