SENATE WELCOMES DIA DEL GALEON

In celebration of the very first International Dial del Galeon Festival, the Senate of the Philippines will showcase an exhibit that will feature photos, models, miniatures and other items on the galleon trade starting September 27, Monday, at the second floor hallway near the plenary.

The exhibit, spearheaded by Sen. Edgardo Angara, Dia del Galeon Steering Committee chair, is one of a number of activities for the 2010 Dia del Galeon Festival which will hopefully resurrect the Philippines' ties with Asian and Latin American countries which have been previously forged at the start of the galleon trade during the 16th century.

"While the galleon trade opened the gates to commercial globalization, it transcended mere mercantile motives; it opened the gates to celebrate bio-cultural diversity," Angara said.

Dia del Galeon (Day of the Galleon) will be commemorated every 8th of October to mark the day when Fray Andres de Urdaneta, explorer and astronomist, discovered the tournaviaje (return route) from the Philippines to America aboard the San Pedro galleon.

The Dia del Galeon Festival features initiatives in history, culture, education, language, sports, and labor and migration which is an opportunity to determine the impact of the galleon trade in today's life and society.

As part of the celebration of Dia del Galeon Festival, Fundacion Nao Victoria will bring the Galleon Andalucia, a replica of the first vessel to circumnavigate the world, from EXPO Shanghai 2010 to the Manila Harbor on October 5-9. Galleon Andalucia will be open to the public.

"The year 2010 provides the opportunity for the Philippines to link with international community of artists, educators, cultural workers, and governance leaders and ask how culture, the arts, and heritage can respond to global crises in the environment, political economy, and peace," Angara added.