VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - It's one of the largest Filipino communities on the East Coast and Saturday it came together at Mount Trashmore Park.
The Fil-Am Friendship Day Festival is a celebration of Filipino culture about a month after Philippine Independence Day on June 12.
The event featured vendors, dancing and other musical acts, and pageant and Filipino food.
Many in the Hampton Roads Filipino community can trace their roots back decades to Navy recruitment efforts in the Philippines. Tens of thousands make up the current vibrant community.
"We’re here to enjoy each other, we’re here to celebrate life and that Filipinos are some of the most significant individuals who have contributed to our city, to our state and certainly to our country," said Dr. Cynthia Romero with the Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater, Inc., which operates the Philippine Cultural Center of Virginia in Virginia Beach.
Friendship Day began at 9:30 a.m. with a parade.
Several area politicians also came out to speak, including Sen. Tim Kaine (D), Rep. Bobby Scott (D), who is of Philippine descent, and Rep. Jen Kiggans (R).
