Philippine-American Friendship Day Parade

The 19th Annual Philippine-American Friendship Day Parade & Festival took place on Sunday. I was unable to participate in the fanfare or the festivities, but I did catch part of the set up for the parade in the morning. “The Filipino community is filled with warm, gracious, and welcoming people,” said Mayor Healy in an official press release and my experience certainly confirms that statement. A lovely & lively bunch, the Filipino day parade (as it is informally known) features organizations representing Teachers and Nurses and other worthy professions. Such a positive segment of our community—amazing, considering how much war, repression, exploitation and upheaval that nation has endured through the centuries.The parade is meant to celebrate the day in WWII that the U.S. liberated the Philippines from the Imperial Japanese forces. I love the name, “Friendship Day,” and of course, I’ve always loved the phonics paradox—Philippine the country with a “ph”, and Filipino the person, with an “f.” I’m sure there’s some quirk of the language to explain it, but I’d rather live with the paradox.