03 July 2014 - For the second year running, the city of Alameda joined the Filipino-American community in the Bay Area on June 7 in their month-long celebration of the 116th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence, kicking off the festivities with a flag-raising ceremony held at Alameda’s historic City Hall, which has been standing since 1896.
Alameda City Mayor Marie Gilmore addressed the audience, saying that she looked forward to events like these because they represented the growing diversity and sense of community that could be found in the city. As the first African-American woman to ever be elected mayor, Mayor Gilmore emphasized that celebrations such as the flag-raising ceremony represented a community where diversity was not only accepted, but incorporated into the fabric of its development.
Also present were former Alameda Vice Mayor Rob Bonta, who is currently the first Filipino-American to serve in the California State Assembly; Vice Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Council Members Stewart Chen, Tony Daysog, and Lena Tam; and Herna Cruz-Louie, Executive Director of the American Center of Philippine Arts.
Consul Reggie Bernabe, representing the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, thanked Alameda City for joining the annual celebration, and urged the Filipino-American community to take Mayor Gilmore’s encouragement to build diversity to heart. “Democracy is a participative process,” he emphasized. “The Filipino-American community has the numbers, but it is up to us to make those numbers count.”
The Philippine Consulate General is currently conducting overseas voters registration for the upcoming presidential elections in 2016. Filipino citizens who will be at least 18 years of age on 1 May 2016 are eligible to register. Registration is free, and may be done at the Consulate General during its hours of business. END