31 August 2016 – The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi held a free screening of the historical film, “Heneral Luna,” on August 26 at the CME Hall of the Universal Hospital in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), in celebration of the Philippine National Heroes Day.

The event was held in partnership with the Universal Hospital and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, through the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila.

The program started with the singing of the UAE and Philippine national anthems. Dr. Anna Marie Diaz, General Practitioner, delivered the welcome remarks on behalf of Dr. Shabeer Nellikode, Managing Director of Universal Hospital.

In his opening remarks, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Constancio R. Vingno, Jr. thanked the Universal Hospital for co-hosting the event and for allowing the use of its facilities for the film screening. He also expressed gratitude to the officers of the Bayanihan Council and all the representatives from different Filipino community organizations for supporting the Embassy in its efforts to promote Philippine arts, history and culture.

“General Antonio Luna is one of our national heroes. We chose to show a part of his life which took place during the Philippine-American War and until his death in 1899,”
Ambassador Vingno said. “A highly-acclaimed production by Artikulo Uno, ‘Heneral Luna’ was well-received by critics and different audiences worldwide. Let us watch and learn from this historical epic about bravery, treachery and betrayal,” he concluded.

Prior to the film screening, Universal Hospital presented videos to introduce its Kabayan Clinic that will soon open in Abu Dhabi. The videos also highlighted the hospital’s participation in previous activities of the Embassy and the Bayanihan Council this year.

“With Filipino doctors, nurses and staff in our Kabayan Clinic, we want to give you utmost care like what you experience back home in the Philippines,” said Dr. Rajeev Pillai, Head of Marketing and Corporate Health Services at the Universal Hospital. He thanked the Embassy and the Bayanihan Council for the support in its campaign “to spread the wings of wellness” among Filipinos in the UAE.

Over 140 attendees comprising of Filipino community leaders and members of various organizations under the Bayanihan Council, officers of the Knights of Rizal – Emarat Abu Dhabi Chapter, representatives from The Philippine Global School and The Philippine School Abu Dhabi, local media, officials and staff of Universal Hospital, joined the Embassy in commemorating National Heroes Day. Third Secretary and Vice Consul Rowena Pangilinan-Daquipil, master of ceremony, thanked everyone who came to the event.

Directed by Jerrold Tarog and produced by Artikulo Uno Productions in 2015, the film depicts the life and bravery of General Antonio Luna during the Philippine-American War. “Heneral Luna” is the highest grossing Filipino independent film of all time and the official Philippine entry to the 88th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. END