Yesterday marked the 126th Philippines Independence Day and to commemorate it, the Philippine Consulate-General in Macau hosted its National Day Reception at Artyzen Grand Lapa.
Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the celebration event, Consul-General Porfirio Mayo Jr. commented: “We want the world to see Filipinos standing proud as a free nation and this is the occasion where Filipinos can, of course, display and show their cultural identity. It’s a day of unity as well as for the community here in Macau”.
Mayo also noted Macau’s growing number of Filipino workers, saying: “We’re happy that we’re getting back the numbers that we lost during the pandemic, so we’re slowly regaining the top numbers [of workers] that we had pre-pandemic. I think we reached about 33,000 back then, so we’re almost there again. And perhaps with the current developments going on in Macau, we will see those pre-pandemic numbers being surpassed.”
Mayo also told the Post that Macau continues to be a popular travel destination for Filipinos given factors like its close proximity and direct flights to the city. “The numbers are steady, so that is the reason why Macau does not see in the immediate future any need to have a roadshow in the Philippines because Macau is very popular among Filipino travellers”.
Among the guests attending yesterday’s celebration were Deputy Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Macau Sun Xiangyang and Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak, who represented Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng.
In his speech, Wong highlighted: “With the joint efforts of all walks of life, the local economy has recovered significantly and achieved good results and progress in different areas. This includes the valuable contributions of the local Filipino community and nearly 29,000 Filipino employees in different fields. We express our sincere appreciation for it!”
Moreover, Wong added that Macau hopes to “continue exchanges with the Philippines through the Consulate General of the Philippines in Macau and thus facilitating the sustainable development of China-Philippines relations with more and more constructive cooperation outcomes.”
Meanwhile, Mayo underlined in his speech that “there is real friendship between the Philippines and Macau and this was best displayed when at the height of the pandemic, many of our countrymen, particularly our healthcare professionals and members of the clergy chose to remain in Macau”.
Mayo also highlighted that the Philippines is “a significant source of tourist arrivals for Macau, with 314,161 visitors from the Philippines recorded in 2023”.
Moreover, in the Philippines, Mayo said that Macau “was the country’s 45th source of tourist arrivals with over 5,000 visitors from Macau and I remain hopeful that this figure will steadily increase as supported by the continued ease of travel”.
Mayo added that Filipinos “comprise the largest migrant community in Macau, numbering over 32,000. Their presence is not only welcome, but highly sought after across all sectors throughout the region”.
Children dressed in traditional Filipino garb deliver a singing performance during yesterday’s National Day Reception at Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau in Nape. – Photos: Rui Pastorin
Consul-General Porfirio Mayo Jr. (from right to left), Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak, and Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Macau Sun Xiangyang share a toast at yesterday’s event.
