10 June 2024 - Her Excellency Ambassador of the Philippines Maria Lumen B. Isleta invited the Hägersten A Cappella Choir to perform at the diplomatic reception held to celebrate the 126th Anniversary of the Philippine Independence Day, on 20 May 2024 (Monday), at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Sweden.
Ms. Kerstin Börjeson, Conductor of Hägersten A Cappella Choir and who led the group in winning the Grand Prix Award at the International Baltic Sea Choir Competition with its winning piece - Leron-Leron Sinta, performed an encore of this well loved Filipino song during the diplomatic reception. The choir also serenaded the audience with two other Philippine favorites - a kundiman song entitled: Dahil Sa Iyo and Rosas Pandan, a Visayan folk song.
Guests were visibly appreciative of the group’s performance that also included three (3) Swedish traditional songs.
Videos of the choir’s performances may be viewed through the following links:
Leron-Leron Sinta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbOtRPJzLR4
Dahil Sa Iyo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=205PZWS_WDQ
Rosas Pandan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT9kSKwPRjM
END.
05 July 2024 - The 34th meeting of the ASEAN Committee in Stockholm (ACS) was held on 27 June 2024, at the Royal Thai Embassy in Stockholm. In attendance were the six (6) ASEAN Heads of Posts with resident Embassies in Stockholm - Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam. Her Excellency Ambassador of the Philippines Maria Lumen B. Isleta participated in the meeting, the last under the chairmanship of Thailand.
The meeting also signalled the turnover of the chairmanship of the ACS from Thailand (H.E. Ambassador Arunrong Photong Humphreys) to the Philippines. Amb Isleta assumed the Post on 01 July and will steer the activities of the Committee in the next six (6) months, i.e., until end December 2024.
The six (6) ASEAN countries with resident embassies in Stockholm, take turns on a rotational basis in holding the ACS Chairmanship.
The Philippines last held the Chairship of the ACS in the first half of 2022. END
