Aquino lauds Filipinos in Kuala Lumpur

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, center, listens to an unidentified officer as he walks with Malaysian King Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, left, during a welcome ceremony at Parliament Square in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Through oceans and borders, the “bayanihan” (civic or sense of community) spirit is alive and well.

After his visit to Malaysia, President Benigno Aquino III praised the 150,000-strong Filipino community in the country after they helped raise funds for the reconstruction and repair of the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Apart from the embassy reconstruction, Filipinos in Malaysia also extended their “bayanihan” spirit to those who suffered the wrath of Super Typhoon “Yolanda.”

“He praised the Filipino community in Malaysia since they were in unison with the rest of the Filipinos in providing care and compassion to the victims of ‘Haiyan’ or ‘Yolanda,’” Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications Operations Office said in a radio interview.

“The President also extended his thanks to their ‘civic spirit’ since they helped raise funds for the renovation of the Philippine Embassy building.”

Coloma said that the action of the Filipino community in Kuala Lumpur is a showcase of the “bayanihan” spirit, which also coincided with the anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution on Feb. 25.

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