By Myra Colis | Photo credit: Salome aan den Toorn-Panoy
On July 2, 2016, Stichting Bayanihan celebrated her 25 years of empowering Filipinas in the Netherlands with the theme, ‘In celebration of the Bayanihan volunteers’. In her opening remarks, Stichting Bayanihan Chairperson and co-founder Diana Oosterbeek-Latoza calls the volunteers the key to keeping the organization alive for the past 25 years and onwards.
Among the major highlights during the celebration were the awarding of certificates in recognition and appreciation of the Bayanihan volunteers and the showcase of Philippine cultural dances and traditional dresses.
Founded in 1991, Bayanihan has established herself as a center for the Philippine women in the Netherlands by helping empower Filipinas with psycho-social, cultural and legal problems as well as Filipinas who want to become emancipated, integrated and who wish to participate in the Dutch society through training events.
“The work of organizations such as Stichting Bayanihan is so valuable,” says His Excellency Jaime Victor B. Ledda, Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands in his inspirational talk during the anniversary celebration. “You are the bridge that links the government with our kababayans abroad, especially those in need. Stichting Bayanihan has been a partner of the Philippine Embassy in its activities in relation to gender and development (GAD).”
More than 80 people came to celebrate Bayanihan’s silver jubilee at 3 Generatiecentrum in Utrecht, including the volunteers, supporters, friends and family members. As key to keeping the beacon of hope and light for many Philippine women in the Netherlands, Bayanihan awarded the certificates of recognition and appreciation to 36 volunteers for their selfless service and commitment towards the empowerment of Philippine women in the Netherlands.
There’s no Philippine celebration without a salu-salo. Before the showcase of Philippine cultural dances and traditional dresses was a fine dinner, featuring a potluck of home-cooked Philippine dishes and desserts prepared and donated by the Bayanihan volunteers and friends.
The day ended with a community line dancing led by Bayanihan volunteer Leah Kleijn-Sanchez and was enthusiastically participated by many, including Philippine Ambassador Jaime Ledda who stayed till the last hour of celebration—a truly genuine gesture of support and presence that the Filipinos, Dutch and Indonesian attendees find remarkable.
The showcase of Philippine cultural dances and dresses
Though short by 1 dance presentation, Stichting Bayanihan made a successful attempt in showcasing an overall representation of the 3 main regions in the Philippines– Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao– by presenting 2 of the many Philippine cultural dances and 10 beautiful traditional attires.
(Captions are excerpts from the script prepared and narrated by Bayanihan volunteer Rochita Loenen-Ruiz on the day of the presentation).
Dance is part and parcel of the Igorot life. Different dances are used to mark different phases in tribal and personal life of the Igorots.
Kappa Malong-malong, also called Sambi sa Malong, is a dance that originates from the Maranao tribes of Mindanao in the Philippines. Performed by Bayanihan volunteer Margie Deelen, the dance shows the many ways of wearing a malong, a simple tubular yet highly-functional piece of cloth.
Dress has always been an important element of culture. Dress reveals a lot about the wearer and about the times when that particular dress was in use.
Filipino traditional attire continues to be worn today. Most often, worn during formal and festive occasions, modern day dressmakers and designers have given the traditional attire a modern look. Filipino dress remains timeless and elegant and is often worn in a show of pride for the Philippine national heritage.
Myra Colis and Christina Claus are both wearing Igorot attires from the mountainous region of Northern Luzon. The handwoven skirt and blouse are symbol not only of a woman’s status but they also are indicative of religious practice, social position and region. Colors and patterns vary based on where a tribe is located in the mountain area.
Nora Van der Does-Gonzales is wearing a mestizo (formal) dress, which is often made of lace and richly embroidered fabric. It is a more sophisticated version of the national dress called the baro’t saya (Maria Clara dress) and to this day is still used during formal occasions.
Bayanihan Chairperson Diana Oosterbeek-Latoza is wearing a traditional dress from Miagao Iloilio. Called the patadyong, this attire is worn on a daily basis for multifunctional use: as a wrap around skirt, as a shawl, and sometimes even as a blanket.
Limbane Molabin is wearing the traditional saya and kimona. Originating from the Visayan region, this colorful handwoven skirt called saya is made of cotton and the top kimona is typically featured with delicate embroideries.
Nieva Paez is showing a Royal Malong with rich color and embroidery that marks the wearer’s social status. The cloth is decorated with langkit, a combination of geometric and floral designs.
Margie Deleen is wearing the malong, a tubular skirt made of colorful handwoven or machine made cloth and a much loved popular garment originating from the South. Different tribes in the Philippines use this garment, which is similar to that of the sarong from Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
Doris Alfafara is modeling Mindanao’s traditional Bagobo attire, also a brightly coloured handwoven and richly patterned dress or tinalak. Notably, this particular dress was handwoven by the wife of the Bagobo chieftain and was designed and tailored exclusively for Alfafara.
Anafel Miggellenbrink is wearing what is called the Luzviminda dress, a modern day dress which incorporates elements from the three main island groups of the Philippines. The beautifully embroidered top is inspired by the Maria Clara with its wide sleeves and the panuelo, while the skirt is a modern day saya which makes use of the Muslim design.
Veronica Balbuena is showing a modernized version of the Filipina mestiza dress. This dress which was created by designers participating in the Nacida project is heavily decorated with sequins with a bright and colorful design. The stiff butterfly sleeves of the mestiza dress are unmistakable as is the lean silhoutte.
This centennial inspired Filipino wedding gown is worn by Myra Colis, who is escorted by Julian Claus in a traditional barong tagalog. Originally created for the wedding of Rochita Loenen-Ruiz, this wedding gown is made of jusi and decorated with lace and seed pearls.
In conclusion, Stichting Bayanihan wishes to congratulate everyone who took part, shared their talents, made commitments and gave their efforts in making this celebration a huge success.
Mula sa puso ng Stichting Bayanihan Board, maraming salamat po! Mabuhay at patuloy po tayo sa diwa ng Bayanihan!
The Stichting Bayanihan Board Members (Left to right: Cora van Campenhout-Alarcon, Diana Oosterbeek-Latoza, Rose Slotema, Myra Colis, Veronica Balbuena) having a toast with Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands, Jaime Victor Ledda.
