PCA President Beatriz Hubilla Inspires with Valentine’s Day Message at Party Celebration
Hello and a warm welcome to all of you! Tonight is a very special evening as we celebrate the four-letter word that brings us all together – LOVE.
It’s truly a pleasure to see both old and new faces here. This is our chance to greet and meet our fellow kababayans. Please take a moment to share a smile with the person sitting next to you. Let’s set aside our homesickness for a while and enjoy this moment.
This party is just the second of many events planned for the year. February will be a busy month for us all. On the 18th and 19th of February, we’ll be hosting a basketball and volleyball tournament at the Boys High Gym. Teams from Wellington, New Plymouth, Rotorua, and beyond will be participating. On the 25th, we’ll be joining the Festival of Culture where we’ll be performing a cultural dance at the Square. Our performance is scheduled for 12–1 pm, and there will be many other performances from different cultures. Of course, PCA will also have a stall (41 Row E), so please come and visit us. We’ll be wearing traditional Filipino outfits or kasuotang Filipina such as Maria Clara, terno, patadyong, Malong, and more. We’re looking for volunteers to join us in the cultural parade at 3pm. Please approach any of our officers (who I will introduce later) if you’re interested.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank the men and women who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this party happen. A special shout-out to Rozel Corlett for the beautiful decorations and our sponsors for the raffle ticket prizes. I encourage you to buy our tickets, not just for the prizes, but also as a donation to our organisation.
PCA is a Filipino organisation recognised by various agencies and groups. Our role is to make this group strong and build more leaders to lead and make it grow. We ask everyone to embrace our Filipino way of ‘kapit-kamay – bayanihan’ and contribute to the organisation. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns via our Facebook page, email, Twitter, or Instagram. We value your opinions and input.
Finally, let me introduce our officers. They work hard to make sure that our events are successful, and I want to acknowledge them tonight. [Call out officers’ names.]
Once again, thank you all for coming, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening.
God bless us all.
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His Worship Mayor Grant Smith’s Christmas message during the Christmas Party and Swearing-in of Officers 2022-23 held 10 December 2022 at Community Leisure Centre, Palmerston North
Kia ora tatou and a very good morning.
Thank you for your kind introduction.
And on behalf of the PN City Council, seasons greetings and happy holidays. It’s been a really very busy year and I know that you all deserve a holiday considering all the preparatory work and organisation that Labour Weekend’s Pistang Pilipino Festival.
I understand the event attracted some 6000-7000 people from around the country, and given what else was on the city during Labour Weekend, it really stretched the cities and the wider region’s accommodation capabilities.
I enjoyed the Opening Ceremony.
And thank you to the organising committee for working through alternatives and solutions to alleviate this accommodation difficulty and ensure as many people as possible could take part.
It was great to have those kinds of Festivals, and sporting events back on the city’s calendar.
Congratulations to you all on a job well done, and thank you on behalf of city businesses that benefitted from having all those extra people in the city.
So, I hope you had positive feedback from the participants given the huge logistics that the event required. And it’s Auckland turn next year?
I’m very much aware that this gathering was originally planned for last year to coincide with our city’s 150th anniversary celebrations, and with the 30th anniversary of the Philippine Central Association – but we got there, eventually.
So, along with thanks for the Pistang Pilipino, congratulations on 30 years of service to the wider region’s Filipino community.
Thirty-years ago, when this Association was formed, Palmerston North was a vastly different place in terms of its cultural and ethnic makeup. But during that era, things were changing.
This Association was one of the early groups that came together in response to a growing need among an ex-pat community for cultural, cuisine and language support.
FYI Earliest was the Chinese Association Manawatū which dates back at least to the late 1920’s.
The PCA predated the establishment in 1993 of the Manawatū Multicultural Council – or Ethnic Council as it was known back then – and to which PCA members have made – and continue to make – valued contributions.
At the same time, there was also this community’s input into the inaugural Palmerston North International Festival of Cultures – which took place the same year (1993) in the Pascal Street Stadium, Arena.
Now, these steps, in combination with growing numbers of international students attending Massey University, and the establishment in 1990 of IPU at Summerhill, were all building blocks in the development of Palmerston North as the welcoming international city we all enjoy living in today.
And I wanted to take a moment to recognise the role that this Filipino community has played in the evolution of our city’s multicultural status.
And for the effort you have put into today’s event. Look at the decorations and logistics.
Let me also take the opportunity to acknowledge members of the Filipino community who have recently moved to the city and surrounding Manawatū area, for adding to our multi-cultural mix and for the contribution you are making to this region’s services and growth.
And congratulations to the newly appointed/reappointed PCA officers.
with Mayor Grant Smith
We’re looking forward to celebrating the award-winning Festival of Cultures again in Te Marae o Hine/The Square this coming February 24 & 25, and hope to see many of you there.
And don’t forget, we’ll have the countdown to 2023 on Te Marae o Hine/The Square New Year’s Eve with all the usual entertainment, early children’s countdown and Midnight fireworks – you’re all invited.
Thank you for your generous hospitality, and I’ll finish by wishing you all a happy Christmas and holiday season, and may you have plenty to look forward to and enjoy in the New Year.
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Councillor Lew Findlay’s inspirational message during the Swearing-in of new officers 2022-23 and Christmas Party Celebration
Congratulations to the newly elected officers, to the successful Pistang Pinoy 2022 that have drawn near to7,000 guests in our city, and how it challenged the accommodation in our city.
Let me give you brief history on how PCA started, it started when 2 couples met at supermarket and discussed the lack of support among Filipinos. That was myself, Meriam, Ramon & Cora Herrera, Ramon and Cora took the initiative of ringing around and after few weeks, 6 other couples met at their house in Tremaine Avenue.
PCA was formed and we became a strong network for Filipinos arriving in Palmerston North, we also had language classes for our children to learn their heritage.
I can also give tribute to Angel who have led this group when other groups have started, he was there through ups and downs of this association. PCA was also instrumental in starting Festival of Cultures because we are willing to work with other cultures.
It is very interesting that the new committee has more men than women. Again, congratulations!