A Philippines Cultural Festival that includes a parade, song and dance performances and a Miss Talent contest will be held in downtown Taipei on Monday －－ which is Manila Day in the Philippines －－ to celebrate Filipino culture, the Taipei City Governments Department of Labor announced on Sunday.

The celebration, which is a part of the Southeast Asian Cultural Activities series organized by the Migrant Workers Cultural Center, will honor the contributions of the more than 8,000 Filipino workers in Taipei City and is aimed at fostering understanding between Taiwanese and Filipinos, the department said.

The festivals first event will be a cultural parade that will start at St. Christophers Church and travel to the Taipei Art Park, where the remaining activities will take place.

To highlight the diversity of Filipino culture, there will be song and dance performances by various indigenous tribes, a performance by the St. Christopher choir and musical performances by foreign groups.

The winner of the Miss Talent contest will receive a cash prize and a round-trip ticket between Taipei and Manila.

Taiwans government has been very supportive of foreign workers, Manila Economic and Cultural Office labor representative Reynaldo Gopez said.

Father Romeo Velos of St. Christophers Church, where thousands of Filipino Catholics gather every Sunday for Mass, said the international community is no longer homogeneous and that foreign workers are no longer just laborers and outsiders.

"They are, at the same time, residents and our brothers and sisters," Velos said.

In addition to the Filipino festival, the Taipei Department of Labor also organizes similar cultural events every year for workers who come from Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.