The Philippine Embassy in Stockholm informed the Department that the Swedish nationals were greatly impressed by the Philippines during the three day Stockholm Asian Festival that took place at the Raoul Wallenbergs Torg on 27-29 August 2004. Mounted by the Philippine Embassy, the Department of Tourism office based in London, the Philippines’ tourism, trade and cultural promotion campaign consisted of a well dressed pavilion, a lively ati-atihan parade, a Filipiniana fashion show enthralling stage presentations by the 19 member London based Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Troupe and the 17 member De La Salle University (DLSU) Chorale, making the Philippines the Festival’s crowd drawer.

Philippine Ambassador to Stockholm Victoria S. Bataclan and DOT representative Chit Afuang unveiled the Philippine pavilion on 27 August 2004. The Embassy took the opportunity to stage an awarding ceremony for the third prize winner of the 106th Philippine Independence Day essay contest, Mrs. Merly Sjolund. According to Ambassador Bataclan, “the most poignant part of the program came as Ernesto Dagelet who happens to be the first naturalized Swedish citizen to reacquire his Filipino citizenship, took his oath of allegiance to the Republic”. The DLSU Chorale set the mood of the ceremonies with their evocative rendition of “Ako’y Isang Pilipino” which capped the morning program at the Philippine pavilion.

The Philippine pavilion showcased world-class Philippine home décor, fashion accessories such as designed metal vases with blown glass and tableware with polyurethane finish from Gaddang Philippines and SKM Art Crafts as well as bags, jewelry, footwear and various fashion accessories created by Dita Sandico-Ong, a 2004 TOWNS awardee and Pearl Jacob-Mannerfelt, daughter of fashion designer Cora Jacob. Complementing the trade exhibit was a buffet of Filipino delicacies prepared by a local Filipino caterer who expressed appreciation for the long queues of Swedes who wanted to savor Filipino cuisine.

According to Ambassador Bataclan, “thousands of visitors descended on the Philippine pavilion and exhausted the Tourism Office’s supply of over 2,000 brochures on the second day of the Asian Festival”. Ambassador Bataclan was also elated by the reception given by the Swedish audience to the cultural performances of the Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Troupe and the DLSU Chorale on stage as the Asian Festival’s main events. “Stockholmers got a taste of Philippine fiestas through folksy binasuan, sayaw sa bangko and tinikling which again proved to be the most popular numbers of the show”, she enthused.

On the last leg of their Embassy organized Scandinavian tour, the DLSU Chorale captivated Stockholm audiences as virtuosos of Filipino chorale music. The DLSU Chorale performed in a series of concerts in Bergen, Oslo, Copenhagen and Helsinki with the support of the various civic minded Filipino community organizations in Norway, Denmark and Finland. “In June 2004, the DLSU Chorale was featured in the mid-summer festival program of the world’s oldest outdoor museum called Skansen in Stockholm and they also performed at the June 12 National Day reception hosted by the Embassy”, Ambassador Bataclan added. She also mentioned that some Swedes told her that they attended the Asian Festival solely to hear the DLSU Chorale perform again. On the last day of the Asian Festival, an artistic director at the Royal Drama Theater of Sweden was so impressed by the DLSU Chorale that he invited the entire choir to attend a concert at the Theater with a view to discussing future collaboration.

Members of the Filipino communities all over Sweden came in droves to lend support to Philippine participation in the Festival. Some came all the way from Norway, Denmark and Finland to join the festive ati-atihan contingent that practically danced its way through the streets of Stockholm to the site of the Asian Festival, in a splash of vibrant colors and upbeat rhythm led by Ambassador Bataclan. The ati-atihan group stood out with their faces painted and wearing bright hued headgear designed by Nico Halal, a local Filipino artist whose art works were on exhibit during the festival. “If the Stockholm Asian Festival were a sporting event, the Philippines made a sweep of gold medals on all fronts”, according to Ambassador Bataclan.