Filipinos and Chinese nationals in Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta Region joined “Bisitas” from across the globe in the virtual celebration of Davao City’s Kadayawan Festival, livestreamed on 24 September 2022.

The livestream was part of Season 2 of Fiesta Filipinas: An Online Celebration of the Philippine Festivals, an ongoing collaboration between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

Kadayawan celebrates the natural bounty and rich tapestry of various indigenous cultures of Davao City and surrounding regions. For the virtual celebration, participants from all around the world – nominated by Philippine diplomatic and consular missions – also took part in a cooking segment on “Puto Maya” (a Philippine rice cake) and “Tsokolate de Davao” (Davao hot chocolate drink), using ingredients provided beforehand by these missions via curated kits.

The “Bisitas” nominated by the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Shanghai were:

• SUN Weimin, Officer, Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association (SPDA)
• LI Si, Travel Agent
• Noemie DE LEON-LACAY, Chef
• Michelle TEOPE-SHEN, President, Filipino Community in Shanghai (FILCOMSHA)
• Lee Mie YEE, General Manager, Dai-Ichi Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
• Caroline B. ONG, Entrepreneur and Pamana ng Pilipino Awardee, 2021 Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas (PAFIOO)
• Chabeli Jill A. HILASQUE, Chairperson, Pinoy Teachers Association in Shanghai (PITAS)
• Gemma CALOPE, President, The Filipino Teachers in Shanghai
• Riza DE GUZMAN, President, PILIPININGBO (Ningbo, Zhejiang Province)

PCG’s Bisitas tremendously enjoyed the virtual celebration and trying their hand at making Puto Maya and Tsokolate from scratch, in sync with the online demonstration. Many proudly took to FB and WeChat, China’s social media platform, to share their photographs and videos of the unboxing of their kits, as well as their attempts at the Pinoy delicacies.

During the livestream itself, Chef De-Leon Lacay was among those invited by the hosts to present her finished and beautifully plated puto maya and tsokolate.

Meanwhile, Ms. Teope-Shen, leader of the umbrella organization FILCOMSHA posted  her experience on her WeChat account. “Wow! From unboxing ‘til the end, what a fantastic and awesome experience!”, she said.

They commended the DFA, NCCA, as well as the PCG for the opportunity to experience the Kadayawan even if only virtually. Such activities are especially appreciated by China-based Filipinos, many of whom have not visited the Philippines the past two years owing to the pandemic. END