Press Release

PCG CHICAGO JOINS HUDYAKA IN CHICAGO 2022 SPORTS FEST

Consul Ryan Pondoc (standing, 6th from left) and Cultural Officer Fritz John De Jesus (standing, 4th from left)
pose for a group photo with the officers and members of the Zamboanga Del Norte Association of Illinois (ZAMNAI)
led by its President, Ms. Maria Cyd Adriatico-Fernandez (seated, third from left).

08 August 2022, Chicago – The Philippine Consulate General in Chicago, represented by Consul Ryan Pondoc and Cultural Officer Fritz John De Jesus, attended the Hudyaka in Chicago 2022 Sports Fest held in Chicago’s Labagh Woods on 06 August 2022. This annual activity is organized by the Zamboanga Del Norte Association of Illinois (ZAMNAI) every summer.

The Hudyaka Sports Fest is inspired by Zamboanga Del Norte’s Hudyaka Zanorte Festival which is conducted every June to commemorate the province’s Charter Day. Hudyaka is a Cebuano word which means celebration or revelry.

ZAMNAI was established in 1989 and the Hudyaka Sports Fest started in 2006 when sports tournaments were added to their annual summer picnic.

During the event, Filipinos of all ages played volleyball, table tennis, chess, and traditional Filipino games sungka and sipa/takyan. Other sports such as basketball, lawn tennis, bowling, and darts were previously held in other venues.

In his remarks, Consul Pondoc congratulated ZAMNAI led by its President, Ms. Maria Cyd Adriatico-Fernandez, for successfully holding the Hudyaka this year after two years of absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that sports is a great way to gather families and friends together and celebrate friendship and camaraderie. END