Site of Filipino celebration to be shifted
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Organisers of a planned Philippine Independence Day celebration in Singapore have withdrawn their application to hold it at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza.
The event was to have taken place at the Orchard Road site on June 8.
The police told The Straits Times that the withdrawal follows public order and safety concerns about the venue proposed by its organisers, the Filipino Independence Day Council Singapore (FIDCS).
“Police had also advised the organisers to consider alternative locations used previously for the event, such as Hong Lim Park in 2013 and Suntec City in 2012.” said a police spokesman.
In April, a Facebook post by the council about its intention to host the annual event on Orchard Road was lambasted by some netizens, who said they did not want it held there.
They also objected that the council had used the Marina Bay skyline in a logo for the event, which is meant to mark the Philippines’ independence from Spain in 1898.
The furore resulted in FIDCS removing the Facebook post.
But the vitriol was condemned by other Singaporeans and politicians as xenophobic, with many showing their support for the celebration.
