PH Consulate General in SF Celebrates 2022 Independence Day With Flag Ceremony, Mindanao Cultural Show
Clockwise from left: Officials and personnel of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco and its attached agencies pose for a family photo, following the Consulate’s celebration of the 124th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence at the Philippine Center in San Francisco on 11 June 2022; Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer and Mrs. Miriam M. Ferrer—accompanied by, from left to right, Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Benjamin Reyes, San Francisco Police Commissioner Kevin Benedicto, Alameda Court Commissioner Pelayo Llamas, South San Francisco Vice Mayor Buenaflor Nicolas, and Vallejo Vice Mayor Rozzana Verder-Aliga—lead a cake-cutting ceremony featuring the Philippine flag; Filipino food favorites such as lechon, chicken sisig, and pancit (as seen in the photo) were served during the reception; ; A member of the San Francisco-based folk dance group Parangal (center stage) performs the Pangalay dance of the Tausug people of Mindanao A member of the San Francisco-based folk dance group Parangal performs the Sagayan Kalilang dance of the Maguindanaoan people of Mindanao (Photos from San Francisco PCG)
SAN FRANCISCO 16 June 2022 – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco marked the 124th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence in true Filipino fiesta fashion, through a flag ceremony and Mindanao cultural performances in a celebration at the Philippine Center in San Francisco’s Kalayaan Hall on 11 June 2022.
Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer led the Consulate and its partner government agencies—the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Silicon Valley, the Philippine Department of Tourism Office in San Francisco, and the Philippine Social Security System Office in San Francisco—during the Philippine Independence Day celebration, which carried the theme “Kalayaan 2022: Pagsuong sa Hamon ng Panibagong Bukas (Rise Towards the Challenge of a New Beginning)”.
Against the backdrop of the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge, Philippine Tourism Attaché Marie Soleil Tropicales led the signing of the Philippine national anthem, as the national flag was being unfurled inside the Kalayaan Hall.
Consul General Ferrer said that “the Philippines is faced with a new beginning, as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and the socioeconomic challenges that came with it… [and] with the change in the country’s administration.”
He also encouraged the Filipino Community in the U.S. Pacific Northwest to remain engaged and active especially in efforts to accelerate national developmen, welfare and well-being of our kababayans; and those that will the profile of the Philippines and Filipinos in the United States.
San Francisco-based folk dance group Parangal headlined the Consulate’s Independence Day celebration with their colorful and masterful renditions of four indigenous dances from Mindanao namely Pangalay, Asik, Kapelibet, and Sagayan Kalilang—to the delight of the U.S. government officials, Filipino American Community leaders, and Consulate personnel in attendance.
This year’s festivities mark the first time since 2019 that the Consulate hosted an in-person Philippine Independence Day reception with the Filipino American Community in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Consulate has uploaded its 2022 Independence Day celebration in full on its official Facebook page: https://tinyurl.com/Kalayaan2022SFPCG.
For more information, visit https://www.sanfranciscopcg.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippinessanfrancisco.org, https://www.facebook.com/PHinSF/ or https://www.instagram.com/phlinsf/. END