300 Guests Attend PHL Independence Reception in HK
Philippine Consul General Bernardita L. Catalla delivers remarks at the diplomatic reception in celebration of the 119th anniversary of the declaration of Philippine independence on June 8 at the Grand Ballroom of Conrad Hotel Hong Kong.
28 June 2017 HONG KONG — The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) held a diplomatic reception for 300 guests in celebration of the 119th anniversary of the declaration of Philippine independence on June 8 at the Grand Ballroom of Conrad Hotel Hong Kong.
Consul General Bernardita L. Catalla recalled the establishment of the Consulate General in Hong Kong in 1957, making this year the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic partnership between the Philippines and Hong Kong.
“This friendship and partnership has never been more solid than in the last three years. I am fortunate to be the steward during this auspicious period in Philippines-Hong Kong relations,” she said, thanking the Hong Kong government for a fruitful partnership over her three years at post from June 2014.
She expressed appreciation in particular to the Labour Department for its close collaboration in protecting the rights and promoting the welfare of Filipino workers in Hong Kong as well as to the Protocol Division and the Hong Kong Police VIP Protection Unit for their cooperation during the working visit of President Rodrigo R. Duterte on May 11-13.
Guest of honor Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung paid tribute to the Consulate General for playing the “key role as the ‘super-connector’” with the 210,000-strong Filipino community in Hong Kong. “The Filipino community is a huge asset to tens of thousands of Hong Kong families. They form an important part of our social fabric.”
In addition to Mr Cheung, the Consulate also invited Secretary for Education Eddie Ng Hak-kim, Secretary for Labor and Welfare Stephen Sui Wai-keung, and Acting Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tong Xiaoling to the event as special guests.
Consul General handed tokens of appreciation to 11 recipients for supporting the Consulate’s work. Six individuals were recognized for their efforts in helping post fulfill its mission to promote tourism to the Philippines, and to protect and promote the welfare of Filipinos in Hong Kong.
Four institutions with which the Consulate has concluded separate Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) received tokens for extending to resident Filipinos information on health and wellness, social and welfare services, and basic lessons in Cantonese. The Labor and Welfare Bureau was also recognized for helping address issues affecting Filipino workers in Hong Kong.
The reception was capped with the performance of “Noong Unang Panahon” (A Long Time Ago) by members of Teatro Filipino composed of Filipino youth aged 5-29 years old, a Filipino buffet dinner, and a raffle draw of cruise packages and return plane tickets.
For more information, visit www.hongkongpcg.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PCGHK/. END
Philippine Consul General Bernardita L. Catalla and Guest of Honor Matthew Cheung (far right) pose with individual recipients of tokens of appreciation for their efforts to help the Consulate fulfill its mission of promoting tourism, and protecting the welfare of Filipino workers at the diplomatic reception