Manila officials express solidarity with Chinese-Filipinos

Manila officials expressed their desire for solidarity with the Chinese community on the eve of the Chinese New Year.

Mayor Alfredo Lim has been going around the Binondo district since Saturday, joining festivities and gracing Dragon Dance processions.

“Ke Filipino New Year o Chinese New Year, iisa ang aking panawagan: ang pagkakaisa, pagkakaibigan at pagmamahalan ng mga Pilipino at Chinese. Iwasan ang awayan at pag-iisip ng hindi maganda sa kapuwa. Kung Hei Fat Choi! (Whether it’s the Filipino or Chinese New Year, I ask for one thing: unity, friendship and love between the Filipinos and the Chinese. Happy New Year!)” Lim said in a press statement.

On Saturday, Lim attended the Dragon Dance Parade at the Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz organized by the Philippine Chinese Golden Wild Dragon and Lion Dance Group. He also urged everyone to attend Sunday’s cultural show, the New Year’s countdown and fireworks display set at Quirino Grandstand in the evening.

The mayor is expected to continue the Chinese New Year’s celebration Monday by going around the city in a gift-giving spree before he joins the Chinese-Filipino community in a program and grand parade around Chinatown starting at Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz.

Meanwhile, the city council also passed a resolution last week extending their greetings to Chinese-Filipinos.

“This simple yet very symbolic resolution manifests Manila’s solidarity with the Filipino-Chinese people and is also our way of honoring and thanking them for their significant contribution to the progress and development of the city and the country,” Councilor DJ Bagatsing said.

Meanwhile, the busy Ongpin Street in Binondo was closed to vehicles Sunday under the “Pedestrian Day in Chinatown” project of the Chinese Filipino Business Club, Charity First Foundation and the city government.

The project is part of the Road Revolution, which is a program that will allow equal sharing of roads among pedestrians, bicycle lanes and efficient mass transit systems based on the principle: “Those who have less in wheels must have more in road.”

The “Road Revolution Program” is a brainchild of environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa Jr., a Ramon Magsaysay awardee.