The Filipino American Community (FILAMCOM) Association of Djibouti, Africa hosted their second annual holiday party at Camp Lemonnier, Dec. 16.

Roughly 200 guests participated in the festivities throughout the night. The evening consisted of traditional holiday music, games, raffles, entertainment, contests, line dances and traditional Filipino food dishes.

"I enjoyed seeing people from different backgrounds with smiles on their faces that night," said Jonathan Quezon, an attendee and FILAMCOM member that works with the public works department. "Perhaps it should not only be an annual event."

The President of the Filipino-American Community Association in Djibouti, Melencio Devera said this is the second time the FILAMCOM had a sold out event for their holiday party.

"Our first official event was last year," said Devera. "To accommodate the anticipated crowds this year, the seating was adjusted and allowed for more people to attend, but it was still a packed crowd."

The food line circled the entire event. Many couldn't wait to try the traditional Filipino foods that reminded them of home. The menu included steamed jasmine rice, lumpia, chicken pancit, beef kalderata, chicken sisig, chicken adobo, vegetable chop suey, biko, fruit salad, and a traditional lechon (a roasted pig).

"In the Philippines, it's a tradition to have a roasted pig for Christmas," said Devera.

Devera will soon be heading home to San Diego and Logistics Chief Petty Officer George J. Delarosa will take his place as the second president of the FILAMCOM association.

"I am honored for being elected and able to represent the Filipino-American Community at CLDJ," said Delarosa. "Coming from Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas and seeing a large presence of Filipinos and how united the community is here made me feel closer to home. We plan to continue to introduce more of the Filipino culture during my time here in Djibouti."

Organizers of this year's event ensured every detail was considered. According to Devera, the team consisted of all members of the FILAMCOM association.

"We had a mix of military, KBR and civilian employees that helped put the event together," said Devera. "There were 25 people who helped cook the meals, 25 people who worked on the set-up of the event, and 16 people were servers during the dinner. It was a team evolution."

More than half of the crowd participated in one of the many games throughout the night.

"The FIL-AM holiday party was a great success with attendance from service members from all branches and civilians on base," said Delarosa. "Thanks to our wonderful and dedicated members that prepared the program and food, we were greeted with compliments sampling the Philippine cuisine and enjoyment of the program, including a rare opportunity to see a Filipino Michael Jackson impersonator doing magic tricks."

A cultural presentation in the Philippines is the hanging of Christmas lanterns, also called parol. For last year's celebration, members were asked to make their own parols out of scraps. There were seven participants for that event. This year, FILAMCOM incorporated the parols in a Christmas tree competition in which each team was asked to use all recycled materials.

During the calendar year, members of the association participate in base clean-ups, monthly 5k runs, Christmas tree lighting celebrations, choir participation for base activities and the Catholic Mass, volunteer work, member hail and bails, relief efforts, and birthday celebrations. They're also known to cook traditional dishes to give those leaving the installation a proper farewell to their next duty station.

In 2016, a member left on emergency leave because their house burned down in the Philippines. FILAMCOM provided financial assistance to the member during the death of both parents. Donations were given to help the family purchase a few things like hygiene and food items.

"The community came together to help in a huge way," said Devera. "A few dollars can go a long way in the Philippines and photos were sent to us of the family holding bags of rice and other items."

The organization recently participated in the construction of a community center. Members came together to clean up an unused space that is now equipped for group meetings, events, food preparation, and more.

The organization at Camp Lemonnier is now the first and only FILAMCOM association on a military installation on the African continent. The FILAMCOM was first established and recognized as an organization by Camp Lemonnier in December of 2016. The association is comprised of a diversified group of military, active and reserve, federal civilian employees, civilian contractors, and KBR personnel without regard to race, age, religion, rank, and/or work position. There are currently 65 members in the organization.

The original founders of the FILAMCOM of Djibouti in 2016 included the President, Melencio Devera; Vice President, Chief Petty Officer Lilibeth Colorado; Secretary, Senior Chief Petty Officer Rowena Tolentino; Treasurer, Chief Petty Officer Edgar Nepomucino; and Photographer, Albert Caoile. Their initial contributions to the organization have helped develop the foundation for future programs and events.

"FILAMCOM is basically a family away from home and I consider the members my extended family," said Devera. "It has nothing to do with rank, job description, or where you work, everyone can join our organization."

The Filipino American National Historical Society established Filipino American History Month in 1988, but was recognized by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2009. The month of October is celebrated in the United States as Filipino American History Month. FILAMCOM of Djibouti participates and has events throughout the year, not only in the month of October.

Camp Lemonnier is one of Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia, installations that conducts eight lines of operation to support air operations, port operations, safety, security, housing, MWR, Fleet and Family Support and what is called the core: the fuels, water and power that keep the bases operating.

Camp Lemonnier's mission includes enabling joint warfighters operating forward and to reinforce the U.S. - Djibouti relationship by providing exceptional services and facilities for the tenant commands, transient U.S. assets and service members.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, visit www.navy.mil/.