Filipino community marks independence day, take selfies with president

President Nicos Anastasiades on Sunday attended an event with the Filipino community in Limassol to mark 124 years of independence of the Philippines from Spanish colonial rule in 1898.

The official independence day is June 12.

Anastasiades said the Cyprus event provided another opportunity to reaffirm the excellent relations between Cyprus and the Philippines which have been steadily growing since the establishment of diplomatic ties on March 6, 1980.

“National days are fitting occasions to reflect back on our common history, take stock of our existing cooperation and explore the promising potential of our relations for the benefit of our peoples,” he said.

Despite the geographical distance, Cyprus and the Philippines share a deep rooted friendship and longstanding ties based always on a common adherence to democratic values, multilateralism and respect of international law, he added.

This could be further enhanced in a number of areas as part of a partnership and cooperation agreement between the two countries that came into force in March 2018.

“Over the decades the people of our two countries have forged strong bonds of friendship and close cooperation based on genuine feelings of mutual respect and understanding,” he said, adding that the “active and ever-expanding Filipino community in Cyprus was one of the largest overseas communities on the island “enriching the cultural fabric of Cypriot society”.