October 2013 - The Philippine Embassy in Seoul reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that Ms. Elaine Quijano, Filipina spouse of a Korean national in Daegu, won first prize at the Migrant Song Contest while the Philippine contingent from Gimhae and Changwon, South Korea, won 3rd Place at the Multicultural Parade. Both events were part of the 2013 Migrant Arirang Multicultural Festival which was held in Changwon City from October 05 to 06 2013.

“We are proud of both Ms. Elaine Quijano for winning the Migrant Song Contest and the members of Filipino community in Gimhae, Changwon and Kyeongnam areas for winning 3rd place in the Multicultural Parade. Through their victories, they have raised the profile of Filipino migrant women and workers in South Korea and served as source of inspiration to their fellow countrymen,” said Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Luis T. Cruz.

Two other Filipinas, Ms. Belle V. Ariola (3rd place) and Ms. Michelle Rei Timbol, were among the nine finalists in the Migrant Song Contest which was also won last year by another Filipina marriage migrant, Ms. Marie Anne Casas from Pohang City. The participants in the Multicultural Parade were a mix of workers and marriage migrants who live in the Kyeongnam region, most of them from the cities of Gimhae and Changwon.
The Migrant Arirang Multicultural Festival, the premier multicultural event in South Korea, has been held annually since 2005, first in Seoul City and then later transferred to Changwon City. END