LATEST NEWS

May 11, 2006

14th Annual Hawaiian Telcom Filipino Fiesta and Parade

Food, Culture, Fun, Hawaii’s Own Jasmine Trias and Filipino Celebrity Willie Revillame!
WHAT: 14th Annual Hawaiian Telcom Filipino Fiesta and Parade
Themed “Celebrating the Filipino Centennial - 100 Years and Beyond”
WHEN: Saturday, May 13, 2006, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: 8:30 a.m. – Centennial Charity Walk (begins at Fort DeRussy, down Kalakaua Avenue)
9:00 a.m. – Filipino Street Parade with Grand Marshal Jasmine Trias
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Food booths, dance performances and exhibitions in Kapiolani Park (near the bandstand)
WEBSITE: www.filipinofiestaandparade.com
The state’s largest Filipino community celebration returns to Waikiki on Saturday, May 13, 2006 with a title community sponsor, Hawaiian Telcom. An estimated 20,000 visitors and local residents are expected to participate in this year’s Fiesta in celebration of 100 years of Filipinos in Hawaii.
"As part of bringing our company home to the islands, Hawaiian Telcom is pleased to support the 100-year celebration of Filipinos in Hawaii by sponsoring the Filipino Fiesta," said Joel Matsunaga, vice president - external affairs for Hawaiian Telcom. "We feel privileged to be affiliated with this very special event."
The day begins with an inaugural Centennial Charity Walk benefiting the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu followed by an annual parade coordinated by the Honolulu Filipino Junior Chamber of Commerce. The parade, a colorful and lively procession of floats, musicians and hundreds participants proudly bedecked in ethnic costumes from their particular region of origin, will also feature Mayor Mufi Hannemann walking alongside The Royal Hawaiian Band. Jasmine Trias will serve as the parade’s Grand Marshal.

Following the parade, Kapiolani Park Bandstand becomes the focal point of the day’s festivities that include entertainers from Hawaii, the U.S. mainland and the Philippines. Headlining this year’s entertainment lineup is Willie Revillame, the popular comedian and host of Wowowee!, the hit production of the Philippine network ABS-CBN. Hawaii’s own “American Idol” Jasmine Trias and Filipina vocal artist and actress Kristian Lei, back from a popular Broadway stint as Kim in Miss Saigon, will also perform.
Visitors may stroll through a Regional Village highlighting many of the Philippines authentic food and art and crafts. To mark this special year, commemorative Centennial stamps selected through a nationwide contest in the Philippines are slated to be unveiled at the Fiesta.
The Fiesta was founded in 1993 to promote awareness of the Filipino culture in preparation for the opening of the FilCom Center on June 11, 2002. FilCom’s mission is to develop, own and operate a community center that provides social economic and education services and to promote and perpetuate the Filipino culture and customs in the State of Hawaii. Today, FilCom operates various programs offering such services such as business incubation programs, technology courses offered in partnership with the Leeward Community College, career counseling, senior services and a forthcoming culinary institute.
The FilCom Center is the largest Filipino community center in the United States and outside the Philippines.

About Hawaiian Telcom
Hawaiian Telcom is the state’s leading telecommunications provider, offering a wide spectrum of telecommunications products and services, which include local and long distance service, high-speed Internet, wireless services, and print directory and Internet directory services.