Consul General Mario L. De Leon, Jr. (seated, middle) gives a report on preparations for the Tribute to the Philippines slated for July 18; with him are members of the Filipino Executive Council of Greater Philadelphia led by Ruth Luyun and her husband, Ferdinand. Standing is Kevin Poholsky, who gave a yo-yo demonstration before Ocean City and Consulate officials. (A yo-yo competition will be held in conjunction with the Tribute to the Philippines on July 18 where the top prize is $500 dollars.) CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
OCEAN CITY, New Jersey – The highly anticipated 6th Annual Tribute to the Philippines will be held here on July 18 at the City Boardwalk off Moorlyn Avenue between 8th and 9th Streets.
Philippine Consul General Mario L. De Leon, Jr., told a press conference June 22 that he and his staff are looking forward to the annual Tribute to the Philippines made possible by Ocean City and led by its Mayor Jay Gilian and his wife, Michelle, Mark Soifer, its PR director, and the Filipino community in Southern New Jersey.
The tribute helps elevate the presence and visibility of Filipinos in New Jersey and at the same time, promotes Ocean City as a tourist destination for the community, De Leon added.
He stated that the Philippines has been the favorite lately of international tourists, having been named Number 8 out 10 in Lonely Planet’s List of Best in Travel 2015, and Palawan named as the Best Island in the World by Conde Nast.
Philippine cuisine has also attracted the attention of mainstream U.S. society with the successful launch of Filipino Restaurant Week in New York last month and the well-attended Inuman at Pulutan (Drinks and Appetizers), which both celebrate the richness and diversity of Philippine food flavors and liqueurs, the consulgeneral said.
Since 2010, the annual Tribute to the Philippines has featured the diversity of Philippine cultural folkdance, local cuisine, services and native crafts.
For this year, the cultural presentation is scheduled in the morning and afternoon, with the Philippine Mutya Dance Company and volunteers from the Filipino community under the auspices of Imelda Alpas, president of Mutya, and Rey Borres as choreographer.
Rowan University Fil-Am students will also provide a special interpretation of Philippine folkdance.
A whole-day free medical mission featuring a blood pressure drive will be conducted by Filipino nurses from Southern New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Last year more than 100 people availed of free medical services.
The cultural presentation in 2015 is organized by the Filipino Executive Council of Greater Philadelphia led by President Ruth Luyun, and Hermie Aczon, overall coordinator for the presentations.
In addition, rock n’ roll performances will be provided by the Ready Rockers, featuring Hall-of-Famer Dick Richards and Filipino entertainer Rene Sese.
The one-day celebration promises to be exciting, with the New Jersey State Yo-Yo Contest taking place in conjunction with the Tribute to the Philippines, and hosted by Air Circus, the purveyors of fun on the Ocean City Boardwalk since 1977.
The Yo-yo contest is sanctioned by the U.S. National Yo-yo League and will be held at the Music Pier. Registration to join the contest can be made at yoyoleague.com until July 15 by looking under Find Events. For any question, please email 2015-new-jersey-yoyo-contest@yoyocontest.com.
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