There will be a three-day celebration for Filipino fishermen during the Lunar New Year holidays in Pingtung County, and they will have as much fun as Taiwanese who are home for the holidays, a Filipino fishermen's association announced yesterday.
The celebration will be held at St. Michael Parish's patio in the southern port city of Tungkang (
basketball
Celebration activities will include a eucharistic celebration held by three Filipino priests, a get-together party and a simple program on Jan. 29, a basketball competition on Jan. 30 and an exhibition basketball game on Jan. 31.
Some 200 Filipino fishermen who work in southern Taiwan are expected to participate in the celebration, said Sister Victoria Changcoco, who has been living in Taiwan for five years, in a telephone interview.
There will be a total of three teams competing in the basketball games on the second day, she said.
The winning team from the fishermen's competition will meet a team of Filipino factory workers from a nearby city for an exhibition game on the final day.
The Philippines is country that is crazy about basketball, and over 80 percent of the population are Catholics.
`no better way'
"There is no better way to celebrate the New Year holidays than with basketball and faith," she said.
The celebrations are being jointly supported by the Manila Economics and Cultural Office's Labor Center and the Dominican Sisters of our Lady of Remedies in Tungkang.
Meanwhile, a singing contest will be held at the Taipei International Convention Center on Feb. 1.
In related events, St. Christopher's Church, which is located in Taipei City, will also organize a sight-seeing tour to Miaoli for Filipino workers during the Lunar New Year holidays.
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