MESSAGE OF SECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ENRIQUE A. MANALO

ON THE LAUNCHING OF THE 2nd FILIPINO RESTAURANT MONTH IN CANADA

I wish to congratulate the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa, the Philippine Consulates General in Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto, the Philippine Department of Tourism, and the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, for the launching in Calgary of the 2nd Filipino Restaurant Month in Canada (FRMC).

I commend the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary and the Philippine Department of Tourism in San Francisco for spearheading the FRMC for the second year in a row. I invite our Canadian friends and stakeholders, the Filipino diaspora and other expatriate communities in Canada to take advantage of the month-long celebration in April 2023.

In the Philippines, the promotion of Filipino cuisine is tied to the country's quest for food security, the promotion of the Filipino brand, and the nation's pride as one of the best tourist destinations in the world, these being top priorities of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The FRMC is an inspiring story of the collective efforts of the Philippine government agencies and the almost one-million strong Filipino community in Canada, including the various participating Filipino restaurants, to contribute to the above advocacies.

Enriched by the influences of the East and West, Filipino cuisine has become "the next big thing" in the international culinary scene. The 2nd FRMC rides on this momentum as it rightfully attempts to elevate the stature of the Filipino cuisine in a country that hosts the second largest Filipino diaspora across the globe.

I support the FRMC as a creative platform to show that Filipino cuisine has arrived in Canada, and that together with it, are Philippine-sourced ingredients that make it uniquely Filipino, yet global.

I am also certain that hospitality, warmth and cheerfulness await our Canadian friends and our kababayans alike in the participating restaurants, translating their dining experience into one that is distinctly Filipino. I hope that this FRMC experience can be replicated in other countries.

I wish the 2nd FRMC another successful year. Mabuhay!