OXNARD : Filipino Fest Celebrates Independence

Under clear and sunny skies, about 2,000 people attended the fifth annual Fiesta Filipinas at College Park in Oxnard Sunday in observance of the 97th anniversary of Filipino Independence Day.

Organized by the Filipino American Council of Ventura County to celebrate the Republic of the Philippines’ independence from Spain, the event was also designed to showcase Filipino culture and heritage, according to Rudy Liporada, spokesman for the council.

“This event has been designed in honor of our Independence Day and to bring our community together,” Liporada said. “We think the event is important because it serves as a learning experience for our kids while also being a nostalgic thing for the older population.”

Co-sponsored with a number of Ventura County-based Filipino professional and civic groups, the festival presented various ensembles that sang folk songs in Tagalog, the traditional Filipino tongue, while volunteers in nearby food booths served up savory dishes whose recipes were taken from the island nation.

While many in the crowd sat on the green lawns, others found shady spaces beneath a large awning or under trees, taking in the dances and costumes.

But while festival-goers soaked up the food, music and dance, many in the crowd jumped up and began line dancing to the strains of popular American country-Western tunes.

For Carlito Galiguis of Oxnard, who attended the event with his two boys, ages 10 and 7, the festival was a welcome respite from the weekend routine.

“We just moved to Oxnard and were hoping that we would find some new ties to the Filipino community,” said Galiguis, 42. “I think this is great. It’s good for my boys to discover that they have such a rich cultural history.”