ASEAN Summit gala dinner to showcase Pinoys’ ‘joie de vivre’

The Philippines will showcase the joy of a Filipino fiesta as it welcomes nine other leaders from Southeast Asian nations on Saturday for the gala dinner of the ASEAN Summit.

According to a briefer from the ASEAN-National Organizing Council, the dinner to be held at Sofitel Philippine Plaza will highlight the “innate hospitality and joie de vivre” of the Filipino people.

The ASEAN-NOC promised that the guests will be treated to a festive and colorful dinner to emphasize the member states’ sense of community, harmony, and togetherness.

For the cultural presentation, the Duterte administration mounted Golden Weave or Ginintuang Habi which is a 25 to 30-minute show with 200 performers. It has four parts—ASEAN Gold Overture, Post Cards and Songs, Dances, Gongs and Strings, and Fiesta.

ASEAN-NOC also said that the leaders and other guests will get to taste the best of Filipino cuisine for the gala dinner. But details about the menu are yet to be shared.

Meanwhile, the 10 ASEAN leaders, as led by President Rodrigo Duterte, as well as their spouses will wear Mindanao-inspired attire for the festivity.

The gala dinner will have 800 guests including the leaders and their spouses, members of their delegation, the diplomatic corps, other government officials, and business people. — BM, GMA News