THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 5, 1995 TAG: 9507050038
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MICHELLE MIZAL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
For Filipino-Americans, Tuesday was Independence Day times two.
More than 3,000 people, many of them from Hampton Roads' large Filipino-American community, gathered at Princess Anne Park to celebrate the dual occasion.
It was, of course, the anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. It was also the anniversary of the day the Philippines, formerly a United States possession, was made free in 1946.
Above the central stage hung a banner that showed the Philippine flag on the one side and the American flag on the other. A hand extended from each flag, meeting in a firm handshake at the middle of the banner.
But the banner wasn't the only thing showing friendship between the two nations. The people did that, too.
``We are here to celebrate together with all our friends, and not just with the Filipinos but with the Americans as well,'' Edgar Gamao said. Gamao, who is president of the Cebuano Speaking Association in Hampton Roads, immigrated to the United States 23 years ago as a professional architect.
Tagalog and English intermingled, as did egg rolls and hamburgers. People ate, danced and sang together. Hugs and kisses were abundant.
``Go, go!'' a crowd cheered at a picnic area as a stout young Filipina named Madonna belted out a Whitney Houston song on a karaoke machine.
At the other end of the park, an older Filipino group sang a Tagalog folk song, ``Dahil Sa Iyo'' (``Because of You'') to an electric guitar.
Nearby, there was dancing.
``Rock, step, cha-cha-cha,'' a Filipino dance instructor said into a microphone. A group of people in front of him danced to a Spanish-Tagalog song - showing the Latino influence on the Philippine people.
Even U.S. Sen. John Warner stopped in to join the festivities.
``I got to shake his hand and he ate adobo,'' said Ruby Ubial, referring to a Filipino dish of either pork or chicken cooked in soy sauce, garlic and lemon. Ubial immigrated to the United States in 1969 and married a Navy man.
Red, white and blue tents shaded people as they sampled the many dishes that originated from different parts of the Philippines. Cebuanos (from the Visayan region) brought sweet rice cakes and menudo, and pampangeneos (from the Luzon region) brought pansit and egg rolls.
Later in the day, the Filipino Martial Arts Association performed a demonstration.
``The Filipinos are a very proud and courageous people,'' said Curtis Knight, an instructor of Philippine martial arts.
Although the celebration brought laughter to many, it reminded others of how much they miss ``home,'' the Philippines.
``I miss everything at home,'' said Darwin De La Cruz, 17. ``I miss hanging out with my barkada,'' or group of friends. Darwin, who will attend Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk in the fall, moved to the United States five years ago with his family.
Still others were reminded of the freedom they have in America.
``We love it,'' said Lita Simbulan, who immigrated to the United States in 1969. ``We love the way this country is organized. We love the way it's considered the melting pot of the world. Filipinos can come here and progress.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
MOTOYA NAKAMURA
Staff photos
From left, Rachel Crist, 10, Michelle Ramos, 12, Donna Marie
Manglicmot, 11, Liza Marie Manglicmot, 11, and Laurie Gonzales, 11,
await the performance of their dance group.
by CNB