One of the more colorful and elegant parades is the Philippine Independence Parade always celebrated on the first Sunday in June. The 23rd edition of the largest celebration for independence outside of the Philippines was getting ready with lots of energy and enthusiasm at the start of the parade route on Madison Ave and 40th St. The 114th year of independence brought out countrymen from all of the tri state area and from the Philippine nation. The mounted police and bagpipes signaled the start of the parade and promised to be a day of fun for all. They were quickly followed by the sponsors, PIDCI and other VIPs and dignitaries. Then the fun started when many floats and local organizations marched down Madison Ave. towards 23rd St. One that received the most attention were the dancers from Dinagyang Festival. A few politically influenced floats and marchers displayed their messages. Most were demands for China to stop their aggression in the Philippines while others warned about the need to stop human trafficking and exploitation.
A group that got the crowd worked up were the BKAI dancers with their native dancing steps. Several beauty queens passed by on convertibles. Many ladies dressed in elegant gowns with parasols reminded the parade watcher of another era. A group of MardiGras dancers strutted their stuff for the crowd. The Aklan dancers and band kept the spirit of the event going with their dance steps. One of the best representations came from the Gawad Kalinga group. They had native dancers show off their steps while one of the largest groups followed them making one of the largest human Philippine flags I’ve ever seen. Gawad Kalinga does great work for helping build communities to end poverty in the Philippines. I was glad to meet some of their members before the crowd greeted them with loud cheers. All in all it was a fun parade with a good feeling of helping our fellow-man out of the depths and help provide a better way of life.
MARAMING SALAMAT (many thanks)!!!
NYC Parade Life 
Leave a Reply