‘Tsinoys treasured part of Philippine culture’

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino joins the Chinese-Filipino community today in celebrating the Lunar New Year, saying Chinese culture has been well ingrained in the lives of most Filipinos.

“May this event enrich, highlight and promote the qualities, values, and ideals that make your community a treasured component of our nation; may it embody the harmony and hope signaled by the turn of the year,” Aquino said in a message.

He said the Tsinoys’ “dynamic heritage adds depth and vibrancy to our Republic’s history.”

“Your contributions are as far reaching as they are varied; your unique culture has become part of our collective identity as Filipinos,” Aquino said.

“Thus, the government is one with you in celebrating the Lunar New Year – one of the most significant events in the Chinese calendar,” he said.

“The strong, resilient and vibrant country that we are today is powered by our multifaceted milieu.

“Let us rejoice in the stable environment that has allowed us to harness this multiplicity of talents and perspectives towards our resurgence, and continue to foster it as a foundation of a truly progressive and inclusive Philippines for all our people,” Aquino declared.

“I wish you happiness, prosperity and good health for the coming year,” he said.

Aquino is the only president that declared the Chinese New Year as a holiday through Proclamation 295 in 2011.

Aquino declared the Lunar New Year as a special non-working holiday throughout the country.

“The joint celebration is a manifestation of our solidarity with our Chinese-Filipino brethren who have been part of our lives in many respects as a country and as a people,” the President said in 2011.