Public Invited to Philippine Flag Raising, Oct. 3

Philippine Flag Raising Ceremony. Image: County of Maui.

A Philippine flag raising event was held this morning at the County Building front lawn in Wailuku.

The Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce Foundation joined the County of Maui for the flag raising event, a mayoral proclamation reading, Filipino food sampling and entertainment.

Act 15 (2008) designates October as Filipino-American History Month throughout the State of Hawaii “to commemorate the contributions of Filipino-Americans to the history and heritage of Hawaiʻi and the United States.”

This photo was taken from the rooftop of the Kalana O Maui county building this morning as part of a ceremony to recognize Filipino American History Month. The event included a flag raising ceremony by local members of the Hawaiʻi Air National Guard, free Filipino food from Bistro Manila, Chef Sheldon Simeon and CAA Food Mart as well as traditional Filipino folk dancing. PC: courtesy Ryan Piros/Maui County

Mayor Alan Arakawa read a proclamation designating October as Filipino American History Month, where the Philippine flag was raised and will be flown through the rest of October.

“We want to encourage the community to spend an hour with us on Monday to help continue this important and symbolic event,” said Kit Zulueta, president of the Maui Filipino Chamber. “This is a crucial year for the Filipino community’s voice, not only for Maui County but across United States.”

The flag raising was conducted by Filipino-American uniformed personnel, and was followed by a dance performance by La Galleria. Filipino food from Bistro Manila, Chef Sheldon Simeon and CAA Food Mart was also available for those in attendance.

The flag raising is the kick-off event for the Maui Fil-Am Heritage Festival that will be held on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Maui Mall in Kahului. Event participants will get a chance to win up to $500 in cash and two round-trip flights from Honolulu to Manila will be given away.