The Philippine Embassy in Madrid, in cooperation with the National Quincentennial Committee (NQC), distributed to consular applicants packets containing paper dolls promoted under the NQC Quincentennial Paper Craft Series.
“Laro Tayo / Juegemos!” is an initiative of the embassy in celebration of the Indigenous People Month for the month of October and the National Children´s Month for the month of November.
The packets contain key historical characters of pre-colonial Philippines which were made available by the NQC in their website, in preparation for the country’s 500th-anniversary celebrations of the victory in Mactan, the coming of the Christian faith, and the successful circumnavigation of the world, all in the year 2021.
To reach out to more Filipinos living in Spain and Andorra, the Philippine Embassy promoted the paper dolls during the online webinar entitled “Reimagining Enrique” on 31 October 2020.
Among the figures are Lapulapu, Rajah Humabon, Raja Kulambo, Juana, Enrique of Mallaca (the subject of the webinar), Ferdinand Magellan, Antonio Pigafetta, Juan Sebastian Elcano, and a bonus paper doll, Filipina Miss Universe Catriona Gray wearing her pageant’s Philippine national costume.
The packet also contains a message in Spanish from Philippine Ambassador to Spain Philippe Lhuillier, and a guide sheet for parents and guardians.
The paper dolls were inspired by the illustrations in the 16th century Boxer Codex and were designed by Abegail Purisima, a history graduate of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. History enthusiasts and school children may download the Quincentennial Paper Crafts Series for free on the NQC website: https://nqc.gov.ph/en/quincentennial-paper-crafts/