Roma Filipino Community jointly hosts Gala Night with Maranoa Regional Council, mega 120+ photo gallery

The entire Roma community was invited to Saturday night’s Filipino Gala event which was an epic celeration exploding with Philippine food, costumes, dancing and culture in honour of the 125th Independence Day. See every photo taken:

Roma Filipino Community Officers and Maranoa Regional Councillors on stage together at the Filipino Gala Night on Saturday June 24, 2023. Picture: Chloe Cufflin.

The entire Roma community was invited to celebrate the 125th Philippine Independence Day at a special Gala Night at the Cultural Centre last Saturday June 24.

The evening kicked off at 5.30pm and was a multicultural explosion of Filipino food, dancing, costumes and more.

Roma Filipino Community president Romeo Cruz said the group was motivated to organise this event after a similar event held last year was so successful.

“All the Filipinos from Roma, Toowoomba, Kingaroy, Dalby, Goondiwindi, Warwick and Chinchilla get together every year and have a sporting activity and events at one of the towns.

“Last year Roma was able to host the event and we had a Gala Night, and after the event we thought ‘hold on, let’s do it with the whole Roma community.’

“We opted to have it again this year and make it open to the public, so the community will have the opportunity to learn about the Philippines.

“We’re really honoured to have the privilege to share Philippine culture and we are so grateful because this wouldn’t have been made possible without the help of the Maranoa Regional council.”

Mr Cruz said using the Gala Night to celebrate Philippine Independence was an obvious choice as it allows the community to come together, share culture and celebrate the shared values of freedom and independence.

Roma Filipino Community president Romeo Cruz addressing the audience at the Filipino Gala Night on Saturday June 24, 2023. Picture: Chloe Cufflin.

“This year’s theme for Independence Day is freedom, future and history,” he said.

“When we talk about freedom, we’re trying to enjoy and celebrate the freedom we have now.

“Future is just looking forward to a bright future for Filipinos, especially in Australia.

“History is of course looking back and thanking our ancestors for what they fought for.

“The Philippines has a rich history and culture coming from Spanish rule, the Western side, the Americans and Japanese.

“Going back to history, the Philippines was colonised by three countries. First was Spain, for more than 300 years which was the longest and first colonisation the Philippines had.

Mr Cruz, who was born in the Philippines, moved to Roma back in 2008 for a job opportunity with KFC.

“I was working overseas in KFC and KFC Queensland were the ones to hire me from overseas and I was lucky to be one of those pioneers to move here from the Philippines KFC,” he said.

“Roma is home for me.

“It’s a very good place to raise your children. It’s just perfect. I used to live in a city overseas and it’s nice to be in an outback place.

Guests are all smiles as they eagerly wait at their tables for the opening of the Roma Filipino Gala Night at the Roma Cultural Centre on Saturday June 24, 2023. Picture: Chloe Cufflin.

“The population allows you to meet and get to know more people, and when you go downtown everyone smiles at you.”

Roma is now home to about 250 Filipinos and last year the Roma Filipino Community group, which formed back in 2007, was officially registered as an organisation last year.

Mr Cruz said most of Roma’s Filipinos moved during the height of the oil and gas boom in 2007 and 2008.

“We’ve got all this support from the community and local businesses and we thought to make it proper and legal and registered as an association.

“Living away from your mother country can be hard and a challenge, so having that sense of someone you can call on every now and then in case of emergency is really nice.

“Having this community, we’re trying to promote and let other cultures know about our heritage.”

Check out all the photos in our mega gallery below!

120+ photos: Every picture taken at the Roma Filipino Gala Night 2023

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