PH Consulate General, San Francisco Mayor Celebrate 127th Anniversary of Philippine Independence at City Hall
Left to right: Supervisor Chyanne Chen, Assembly Member Matt Daney, Madam Miriam Ferrer, Consul General Neil Ferrer, Mayor Daniel Lurie, and Chief of Protocol Penny Coulter (Photo courtesy of the Office of the Mayor)
SAN FRANCISCO 23 June 2025 — The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco and the San Francisco City HalI co-organized a flag-raising ceremony in celebration of the 127th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine independence and the Filipino American Friendship and Heritage Day on 12 June 2025.
San Francisco City Mayor Daniel Lurie welcomed all the attendees and recognized the efforts of Consul General Ferrer and the Consulate in promoting cooperation between San Francisco and the Philippines.
“Consul General, thank you for all of your partnerships and all the work that you do, to strengthen the ties between San Francisco and the Philippines. We are grateful for your leadership and friendship,” Mayor Lurie stated.
Mayor Lurie also took the opportunity to recognize the Manila-San Francisco sister city arrangement. “San Francisco, as we all know, is proud to call Manila our sister city since 1961, 64 years strong and San Francisco’s second longest standing [partnership] which is the sign of deep connections between our two cities”. He also commended Ms. Carmen Colet, Chairperson of the San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee for keeping the sister-city relations strong and growing.
During his speech, Mayor Lurie recognized the valuable contribution of the Fil-Am community involved in various fields such as healthcare, education, business, culture and the arts as well as Fil-Am organizations that create opportunities to promote the welfare of the community.
Mayor Lurie also handed over to Consul General Ferrer the proclamation he signed which recognizes and honors Philippine Independence Day and declaring 12 June 2025 as Filipino-American Friendship and Heritage Day.
In reference to the sister-city partnership, the proclamation states “On the occasion of the 64th anniversary of the founding of the San Francisco-Manila City relationship, we recognize the volunteers of our Sister-City Committee who promote mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation between the people of both cities”.
Consul General Ferrer expressed his gratitude to Mayor Lurie for fostering closer and deeper connections with the Filipino-American Community in the city and across the Bay Area. He acknowledged the San Francisco-Manila Sister-City partnership as well as the contributions of Filipino American community leaders and their active engagement with the city. He invited Mayor Lurie to visit the Philippines, highlighting the convenience of travelling to the Philippines with two direct flights daily from San Francisco via Philippine Airlines and United Airlines, and by October, three direct flights with the addition of another daily flight schedule by United Airlines.
Consul General Ferrer mentioned the dynamic economic engagements between San Francisco and the Philippines, evident, not only with the number of Filipino-American businesses operating in the city but also through recent partnerships with San Francisco based companies like Astranis, a satellite company for the launch of Agila, the country’s first MicroGeo stationary satellite, and Atmo, an AI-powered company which partnered with DOST to address climate challenges faced by the Philippines.
Chief of Protocol Penny Coulter also acknowledged the contribution of the Filipino American community in the city in the field of healthcare, business, culture, and the arts citing the various community activities like Pistahan and Filipino History month. “Today, we honor your history and the heart of the Filipino community. We thank you for your presence and lasting impact on our city”.
Madam Miriam Ferrer, and the Consulate’s officers and staff, as well as the representatives of the PTIC-SV and PDOT in San Francisco accompanied Consul General Ferrer during the event. Around 50 guests representing the various Filipino American organizations in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, San Francisco city government officials, and media partners also graced the occasion.
City Supervisor Chyanne Chen, Assembly Member Matt Haney, Fil-Am San Francisco Entertainment Commissioner Anthony Schlander, Daly City Councilmember Juslyn Manalo and San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee Chair Carmen Colet were also in attendance.
After the brief program and small reception, the Philippine flag was raised in the balcony of the San Francisco City Hall, led by Consul General Ferrer and Mayor Lurie.
On the evening of June 12, the San Francisco City Hall and the Air Traffic Control Tower of the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) were lit up with the Philippine national colors of blue, yellow and red to cap off the celebration of Philippine Independence Day and Filipino-American Friendship and Heritage Day in the city. END
From left to right: Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer, Mayor Daniel Lurie, and San Francisco Chief of Protocol Penny Coulter at the Mayor’s Office (San Francisco PCG photo)
Left photo: Consul General Neil Ferrer with Chief of Protocol Penny Coulter; Right photo: Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer, Ms. Carmen Colet, Chair of San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee and Deputy Consul General Maria Paz Cortes (San Francisco PCG photos)
The Philippine flag hoisted at the San Francisco City Hall balcony on 12 June 2025 (San Francisco PCG photos)
Left to right: Tourism Attaché Soleil Tropicales, Vice Consul Hannah Go, Consul Adrian Baccay, Deputy Consul General Maria Paz Cortes, Daly City Councilmember Juslyn Manalo, Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer, Madam Miriam Ferrer, Consul Rowena Pangilinan-Daquipil, Vice Consul Glaiza Quarteros, and Trade Commissioner Anne Marie Kristine Umali at the balcony of the San Francisco City Hall (San Francisco PCG photo)
Office of the Mayor of San Francisco with Consul General Neil Ferrer, Mayor Daniel Lurie, Chief of Protocol Penny Coulter, and invited guests (San Francisco PCG photo)
For more information, visit http://pcgsanfrancisco.org, https://www.facebook.com/PHinSF/ or https://www.instagram.com/phlinsf/.