PH Consulate General in San Francisco Partners with GMA Int’l on Community Initiatives
Consul General Henry S. Bensurto Jr. addresses the audience during the partnership commitment signing between the Philippine Consulate General and GMA International. (San Francisco PCG photo)
SAN FRANCISCO 29 October 2018 — In support of the Spark*Connect*Empower (SCE) movement which hopes to spark love and pride in the Filipino culture and heritage, the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco (PCGSF) signed a partnership agreement with GMA International on 05 October 2018 at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center in San Francisco.
The agreement was signed by Consul General Henry S. Bensurto, Jr. and GMA International First Vice President and Head of Operations Joseph Francia.
Also present during the signing ceremony were GMA International Affiliate Development and Marketing Manager Josh Andowitt, and GMA artists Christian Bautista, Julie Anne San Jose, and Mika Gorospe.
The officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate General were present along with members of the media, and officials and members of various Filipino community organizations.
Consul General Bensurto Jr. welcomed the SCE partnership signing with GMA International as a proof of the high level of trust between the Philippine Government, through the Consulate, and the private sector in line with the private, public, and community partnership objective of the SCE movement.
He added that GMA International is an important outlet that provides both news and information as well as entertainment to Filipinos all over the world.
“GMA International reaffirms its commitment to the global Filipino community, not only to inform and entertain, but also to spark love and passion for country among Filipinos world-wide”, Consul General Bersurto said.
He added that the SCE movement, which is non-political and non-partisan, hopes to bring together various Filipino-American community organizations, including the media, in providing a unifying platform that ensures a much greater impact of these organizations’ activities and programs taken as a collective whole instead of separate entities.
The Consul General also said that the SCE movement also hopes to create a powerful synergy through the efforts of our Filipino communities worldwide.
In his response, Mr. Francia said that the signing of the agreement reflects the spirit of genuine strategic partnership between the parties as the Bay Area is the gateway of the media network to the whole of the United States. Looking forward, he stressed that in implementing this agreement, GMA International shall be in close coordination with the SCE movement through the Consulate to create more concrete programs and projects for the success of the partnership and the movement.
The signing ceremony between Consulate and GMA International also coincided with the signing of the SCE partnership with the Filipino Band Musicians Hall of Fame Foundation (FILHOFF), a California-based non-profit corporation composed of distinguished and competent individuals whose musical, professional, life and business experiences form a solid foundation for the success of the enterprise.
Mr. Bautista, Ms. San Jose, Ms Gorospe, Bay Area Filipino-American Top 12 finalists in GMA’s musical competition program “The Clash” serenaded the audience after the signing ceremony. END
For more information, visit www.sanfranciscopcg.dfa.gov.ph / www.philippinessanfrancisco.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHinSF.
Consul General Bensurto exchanges handshakes with GMA International First Vice President and Head of Operations Joseph Francia during the partnership commitment signing. (San Francisco PCG photo)
The audience listens as Consul General Bensurto, Jr. addresses them during the partnership commitment signing. (San Francisco PCG photo)