Gwangju Philippine community comes together for Filipino Day

Children from multicultural families participate in a parade to celebrate Gwangju Jeonnam Philippine Community Filipino Day, May 29. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

By Arlo Matisz

There's excitement in the crisp morning air at Woljeon Park. On the far west side of Gwangju, just north of the end of the subway line, this small tree-lined park is an oasis in a desert of industrial parks.

At an early 8:30 a.m. last Sunday morning, the park is already a bustle of colorful activity. Rainbow tents have been set up, and dozens of people are changing into brilliant gowns and traditional costumes. The sweet smell of baked desserts and the sweet sound of laughter fill the air as food booths set up their wares and friends call to each other. From every direction of the park and every direction of South Jeolla Province, hundreds of people stream to the growing event, for today is the Gwangju Jeonnam Philippine Community Filipino Day!

Members of the Philippine community in southwestern Korea gather for Gwangju Jeonnam Philippine Community Filipino Day, May 29. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

Filipinos representing 23 cities and counties of South Jeolla Province have arrived, with eight groups representing certain regions as well as some businesses and religious and social organizations participating in the parade which will start the festivities. While these groups prepare their costumes and other pageantry, a live band plays songs that are clearly popular and well-known to the participants, who sing and dance along as the morning warms up.

Costumed members of the Philippine community in southwestern Korea take part in a parade for Gwangju Jeonnam Philippine Community Filipino Day, May 29. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

This day is tying together different important Filipino celebrations. Flores de Mayo ("Flowers of May") is held throughout May in the Philippines as a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The?Santacruzan, the last day of May,?recognizes the finding of the true cross by Constantine the Great and Helena of Constantine, who is known as Reyna Elena in the Philippines. There is abundant religious symbolism in the different parade entries, and each entry includes finely dressed Reynas, or queens of Flores de Mayo, as well as intricate arches covered in flowers to mark the occasion.

Filipinos participate in a parade to celebrate Gwangju Jeonnam Philippine Community Filipino Day, May 29. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

Along with prizes for the queens of May and decorated arches, each group gives a dance performance. The day's winners were a large group which represented the indigenous people of the Cordillera region of the Philippines who gave a rousing performance of dancing to a complex beat set by their own banging gongs. The similarity to certain traditional Korean drum and dance ceremonies served as both visual and acoustic reminders that the two nations are not so far apart.

Filipinos representing the indigenous people of the Philippines' Cordillera region participate in a parade to celebrate Gwangju Jeonnam Philippine Community Filipino Day, May 29. They won the top prize for their dance performance. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

June 12?is also the Philippines' Independence Day which marks their declaration of independence from Spain in 1898, and has been rolled into this event as well. The national anthem is sung spiritedly by the crowd. A visiting priest addresses the visitors and a prayer is offered. The day's guest speaker is none other than Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Maria Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega. Following her speech, she enjoys a humble lunch with the organizers, taking time to speak with many of the other guests as well. Her generosity with her time included a short interview with The Korea Times.

Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Maria Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega addresses the crowd at Gwangju Jeonnam Philippine Community Filipino Day, May 29. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

When asked what she brings to this important day, she replies genially, "It's not so much what I bring, but it's really a show of support and encouragement to the members of the Filipino community. That includes everyone who is part of this community and also the leaders of this community. The overseas community is only as strong and vibrant as the people who are part of it. Activities like this which take months of planning, and coming off the pandemic, it's really a show of resiliency on the part of our community, and we want to celebrate that and to congratulate them for that, and we want to let them know that they have our support. And moving forward, we'll continue to be very active partners with them."

Filipinos participate in a parade for Gwangju Jeonnam Philippine Community Filipino Day, May 29. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

She also contextualizes the importance of these type of events. "They're important overall in the community because they help maintain and promote the sense of identity for the migrant community, and at the same time it's also a celebration for the deep friendship and really broad ties between the Philippines and Korea and the Filipino people and the Korean people. It's something we'd like to encourage. It falls squarely in our own advocacies for multiculturalism, for inclusiveness in society and the community and the formulation of policies, which is very important for a country like the Philippines where we have a considerable number of migrants overseas."

Filipinos participate in a parade to celebrate Gwangju Jeonnam Philippine Community Filipino Day, May 29. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

One of those community members is Kim Su-min, the auditor of the Gwangju Jeonnam Philippine Community.

"We've been doing these programs to get all the Filipinos living in Jeonnam together to get to know each other, and also to get to know what their problems are and if they need help. Also, to show what Filipinos are and what we have in the Philippines, and show our culture a bit to the community," she says.

"Because of COVID, we haven't done this in three years. This is the first time that we came back doing this after COVID. In the Philippines we have Independence Day on June 12, so this is also one way of celebrating our Independence Day."

Filipinos participate in a parade to celebrate Gwangju Jeonnam Philippine Community Filipino Day, May 29. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

When asked how she feels about the event's turnout, she grins and blushes. "Actually, I wasn't expecting this much! I was surprised. Fortunately, as you can see, the group came and prepared. Everyone is working, everyone has their jobs. They practiced and prepared their costumes. For me, I guess this is more than 100 percent success!"

The importance of networking and problem-solving within the community can be seen in the different kiosks under the bright tents. Along with foods, clothing vendors and beauty products, there are services tailored to the migrant community, such as money remittance, telecom services and life insurance. These services draw a lot of attention from the crowd, and the providers are happy to explain why.

Dianne Hilandra Kaye of Speed Mobile offers prepaid phones and other deals to local migrants who may struggle with some of the normal barriers in the phone market, such as long monthly contracts. These services and consumer options are in high demand in the migrant community.

Filipinos living in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, participate in a parade to celebrate Gwangju Jeonnam Philippine Community Filipino Day, May 29. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

When it comes to long-term services, there are options as well. Sherryl Sambo Ko, along with being president of the Gwangju Filipino English Teachers (GFET), is also a financial planner for Hanwha Life Insurance. When asked about her role here, she answers easily, "The reason why I entered this industry is because I want to become a bridge to help my fellow Filipinos to have a more secured life in Korea."

Seeing her speak to many visitors and guide them toward different kiosks depending on what they need, you can see the bridges are built quickly but with strength in mind. This day is more than a demonstration of community resiliency. It is the arch that supports the community.

Filipinos participate in a parade to celebrate Gwangju Jeonnam Philippine Community Filipino Day, May 29. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

Arlo Matisz is an economics professor at Chosun University and the host of GFN's talk show "face2face," which broadcasts from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday evenings.