The launching of the Australian Filipino Heritage Foundation Inc.
Established on 1 September 2016, the Australian-Filipino Heritage Foundation, Inc., otherwise referred to as Pamana Australia, was launched on 20 January 2017 at The Atrium, Kindred Studios in Yarraville, graced by honoured guests, community leaders, media, business representatives, Filipino artists and international students.
Among the special guests who attended the launching ceremony were Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) Commissioner Tsebin Tchen, Philippine Honorary Consul Felix Pintado, former honorary consuls Virginia Kalong and Raul Hernandez and The Philippine Times Publisher Alice Nicolas.
In his Inspirational Speech, Honorary Consul Pintado said, “Whenever we talk about heritage, we talk about an anchor to our values, our culture… the Heritage Foundation aims to create a home away from home… for us Filipino-Australians. This is the very first in Victoria… and this (Foundation) … is our anchor back home.”
VMC Commissioner Tchen commended the group for the remarkable initiative. He confessed that instead of him delivering an inspirational message, he was the one inspired by the group and the Filipino-Australian community for their commitment to appreciate, preserve and take pride in their cultural heritage and values and to pass it on to future generations.
Spearheaded by Sandok Productions, PAMANA Australia is a not-for-profit, non-governmental, non-political, non-sectarian organisation dedicated to the promotion, preservation and development of the Filipino-Australian history, arts and culture. The Foundation envisions the Filipino heritage integrated within the multicultural Australian community, creating a harmonious fusion of Filipino-Australian culture, history and arts. It also aims to discover and define the Filipino-Australian identity to inspire a broader multicultural community to preserve its heritage, enrich its culture and celebrate diversity for the future generations.
The purposes of the Foundation are: (1) To initiate, encourage or assist in documenting the history of Filipino migrants in Victoria and Australia; (2) To establish a Philippine cultural centre and museum in Victoria; (3) To liaise and network with other Filipino arts, cultural and historical groups within Australia and around the world; (4) To forge collaborative partnerships with Filipino and other multicultural groups in developing projects related to history, arts, and culture; and (5) To collaborate and exchange ideas with other ethnic and cultural heritage groups in Victoria and Australia, among other things.
The event also showcased the extraordinary talents of several Filipino artists including Claudette Calixto, Staxey Kelly Cañedo, Rolando Limun and the Harmonico Filipino. Several Filipino businesses and sponsors have also been recognised as part of the PAMANA Business Circle.
PAMANA Australia Foundation Executive Board is composed of George Gregorio, Executive Director; Chito Javier, Deputy Executive Director; Virginia Balanon, Secretary; Susan Rodriguez, Treasurer; Josie Elano, Salve Oliquino and Marigold Espiga, Executive Board members.
PAMANA Australia has several projects already lined up for the coming years and is calling all interested individuals, community organisations and businesses to preserve and promote the Filipino culture, discover and define the Filipino-Australian identity and celebrate diversity as part of multicultural Australia.
For information and enquiries, contact pamanaaustralia@gmail.com or mobile 0430 039 689 or on Pamana Facebook Page.
