Kapamilya artist Matteo Guidicelli of ABS-CBN will headline this year’s Pista ng Bayan celebration in Vancouver on July 9.
Also appearing at the whole day event upon popular request from the community are singer Jam Morales and comedienne-entertainer Fe Delos Reyes.
Pista ng Bayan: Festival of Festivals 2017 will be held at Memorial South Park (5955 Ross Street)
The Pista ng Bayan: Festival of Festivals 2017 is a free event being organized by the United Filipino Canadian Associations of B.C. (UFCABC), which represents a broad spectrum of organizations and individuals in the community.
Guidicelli is an actor, singer, athlete, and model best known for appearing in popular ABS-CBN shows.
Guidicelli’s appearance is being made possible by The Filipino Channel (TFC), through Ms. Rosary Escano.
The Pista ng Bayan: Festival of Festivals 2017 is part of a series of celebrations put together by UFCABC under the leadership of its president, Joel Castillo.
The events are in line with the 119th Philippine Independence Day commemoration in Canada and across the globe.
“UFCABC is honoured to be a part of the celebration of Philippine Independence, and we are humbled by the deep support being shown by the Filipino Canadian community,” Castillo said.
Pista ng Bayan: Festival of Festivals 2017 on July 9, will start 11am mass and community parade around the oval at around 12 noon and entertainment program follows.
UFCABC is a conglomerate of over 30 groups and associations in the province. It is the largest Filipino-Canadian group to date that enjoys support from vast majority in the community.
The Pista ng Bayan is a long time tradition for the community to gather together for an event to showcase the aspects of the Filipino culture. There will be various foods, civil, business and commercial stallholders showcasing their products and services to the thousands of people who will attend the event.
There will be a “PARADANG PINOY” (Parade of Groups, Associations, Organizations, Businesses, Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, VIPs and special guests, of the Filipino-Canadian Community marching and dancing to the beat of the Ati-Atihan drums and Filipino music around the Oval.) It will be a day full of entertainment, with a program featuring local artists, games and performances that represent the Filipino culture.
Pista ng Bayan: Festival of Festivals 2017 brings a showcase of street dancing groups to represent the different regions and their respective festivals.
Pista ng Bayan is in search for a Festival Queen. The modern Filipina as someone who chases her dreams but never forgets where she came from. She acts with passion and confidence, is strong-willed, and unafraid of leaving her own mark in the world. Most importantly she remembers the core values that her family has instilled in her. The Festival Queen will be an embodiment of a modern Filipina and become a Tourism and Culture Ambassador.
Drive Co Motors will be raffling off a Mercedes Smart Car as well as a trip for 2 to Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFCABC president Castillo recalled that previous events have received strong support from the community.
The kickoff activity for this year’s Philippine Independence Day celebration was the flag-raising at Filipino Plaza in Vancouver on June 3, which was attended by notable community members and guests.
A gala night was also held at The Westin Bayshore in downtown Vancouver on June 17. Members of the community and supporters came in traditional Filipino attire in the formal event.
Attended by 600 people, the gala night also featured a fashion show put together by Jackie Penalosa.
Following the July 9 Pista ng Bayan, the UFCABC will also showcase traditional Filipino costumes in an event dubbed Mindanao Tapestry on August 20. Fashion design icon Rene Salud will be the star of the Mindanao Tapestry show.
“This year is a banner year for the community in terms of the quality of Independence Day events,” Castillo said.
Special guest Matteo Guidicelli is a member of ABS-CBN’s Star Magic. His acting career started when he joined the 4th season of the teenage comedy sitcom Go Kada Go in 2007. The next year, he played supporting roles in the action fantasy show Kung Fu Kids and in the soap opera Ligaw na Bulaklak. In 2010, he was given the lead role in the ABS-CBN primetime fantasy television series Agua Bendita.
2011 was a busy year for Guidicelli. He became one of the hosts of the noon-time variety game show Happy Yipee Yehey!, and was cast to play Trevor Wu, one of Kim Chiu’s leading men in My Binondo Girl,[4] a hugely popular tv show, shot in Manila and Hong Kong, and released internationally. 2011 also marked the year Guidicelli was cast in his first film, Catch Me, I’m in Love.
He landed his first lead role in 2012, starring as the lovestruck Carlo in the successful indie film, My Cactus Heart.
Apart from acting, Guidicelli is also pursuing a career in singing. In 2011, Star Records released Guidicelli’s first single “Someone Like You” as an internet download. On January 17, 2016, he launched his first album, self-titled Matteo Guidicelli, under the same recording company.
He is in a lead role of the romantic show, Dolce Amore, which debuted on February 15, 2016. He is also the boyfriend of ‘Popstar Princess” Sarah Geronimo.