Kapuso, Kapatid, Kapamilya unite for NY Phl day fete

The first and, everybody wrongly thought was, the last time stars from the three networks (Kapuso, Kapamilya and Kapatid) got together was last year when they appeared in a Dolphy tribute aired simultaneously on the three channels.

“This time,” confirmed Funfare’s Big Apple correspondent Edmund Silvestre, “they will be together again.“

Edmund is referring to the KKK stars appearance in the Philippine Independence Day celebration in the New York tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut) and the rest of the US Eastern Seaboard slated for tomorrow, June 2.

“It is hailed as the largest independence day extravaganza outside the Philippines,” added Edmund who has just capped his recent three-week summer holiday here with his relatives.

Leading the pack are Kapatid Sharon Cuneta, Aga Muhlach and Derek Ramsay; Kapamilya Gary Valenciano; and Kapuso Sen. Bong Revilla, Julie Anne San Jose, Marian Rivera and Rafael Rosell. (On June 8, Marian and Rafael will join the Balikatan sa Pag-Unlad festivities in Carson City, California, part of the Independence Day celebration organized by the Philippine Independence Day Foundation [PIDF].)

Reelected Sen. Chiz Escudero and his girlfriend (Kapuso) Heart Evangelista will also be there.

Today (June 1, US Time) Kapuso Dennis Trillo and Glaiza de Castro will be at the Pista sa Nayon affair in Vallejo, California, sponsored by the Philippine Cultural Committee (PCC), and then they will proceed to Seattle for the Pagdiriwang Philippine Festival on June 8 and 9 organized by the Filipino Cultural Heritage Society of Washington (FCHSW) and then to Toronto, together with Rafael, for the Pinoy Fiesta and Trade Show held by the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF) and the Philippine Chambers of Commerce Toronto (PCCT) on June 22.

GMA marketing consultant Grace Labaguis said it’s a feat to bring together in a single event major artists from three competing Philippine TV networks.

“It’s really heartwarming that it’s no longer next to impossible to gather the Kapuso, Kapatid and Kapamilya stars in one big event to celebrate an important occasion,” Labaguis said. “This is a celebration not just of our independence, but of our unity and solidarity as a people.”  

The lively and colorful Dinagyang Street Dancers from Iloilo City are gracing the event for the second time, as part of the Philippine Department of Tourism’s highly successful It’s More Fun In The Philippines campaign.

Mitchelle Dy, head of the Philippine Tourism office in New York, recalled how Dinagyang paid homage to the Sto. Niño and showcased Ilonggo culture, giving non-Filipino spectators a beautiful glimpse of the unique Philippine culture and heritage during its first appearance in New York in 2011.

“Dinagyang turned the streets of New York into a field of lively and spectacular Philippine festival,” Dy said. “It was such a hit that community leaders and parade-goers want Dinagyang back.”

Earlier this year, the Dinagyang performers — specificially the Tribu Panayanon Street Dancers — won the third consecutive championship at the Philippine national Festival of Festivals Aliwan Fiesta in Manila, again taking home the top prize of P1M.

Said Edmund, “With more and more Philippine celebrities appearing and performing annually, the Philippine Independence Day celebration in New York has already become the much-awaited Filipino event of the year in the US East Coast.”

During the parade, the visiting stars will join the diplomatic corps led by Consul General Mario de Leon Jr. and Philippine Ambassador to the United States Libran Cabactulan, along with another special guest, Philippine Deputy House Speaker Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada III, and the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) leaders headed by Fe Martinez and this year’s Grand Marshal Dr. Rebecca Castro Rivera.

Also joining them are this year’s Diwa ng Kalayaan Kristine Liwag and Mrs. Kalayaan Rose Pacia Lebelle and their respective court of beauties, and numerous delegations representing different organizations from various states; as well as marching bands and the Filipino and Asian members of the New York City Police Department.

The whole-day spectacle will officially start at 8 a.m. with a flag ceremony at the Philippine Center on Fifth Avenue, between 45th and 46th Street in Manhattan. It will be followed by a Mass of Independence and a salu-salo at the Kalayaan Hall on the second floor of the center. 

The street fair opens at 10 a.m. on Madison Avenue from 24th Street to 26th Street featuring a full Filipino food festival, and corporate and merchants’ booths. Every year, spectators from as far as Canada and Florida flock to Madison Avenue — which houses many of the world’s top advertising agencies — to watch the parade and performances while enjoying barbecue, pancit, lumpia, halo-halo and other Pinoy dishes and delicacies.

The parade starts with a brief ceremony on Madison Avenue and 39th Street at around 11:45 a.m. with the actual march kicking off at noon. Marchers, marching bands and floats will all pass the reviewing stand between 30th St. and 29th St., where a panel of judges will select the best contingents.

At about 2 p.m., the cultural festival will be held on an open-air stage set-up on 23rd Street. New York area-based Pinoy artists will perform, together with the Philippine-based celebrity guests, including the Dinagyang dancers.

After New York, the Dinagyang dancers will fly to Los Angeles for the Filipino community’s Philippine Independence Day celebration, centered in its Historic Filipino town district, on June 8 (Saturday). The entire Dinagyang entourage is made up of more than 23 dancers and musicians, along with technicians, producers and directors. Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog is accompanying the Dinagyang contingent.

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