03 March 2014 – The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles conducted a two-day consular outreach program in Ventura, California on February 22 and in Lompoc, California on February 23. Consul General Ma. Hellen Barber De La Vega led the consular outreach team.
The consular outreach program was undertaken in cooperation with the Fil-Am Council of Ventura County represented by Mr. Tony Grey and the Filipino-American Club represented by Ms. Minky Wilhelm for the Lompoc leg.
The Consulate was able to process 26 electronic passport (ePassport) applications, including walk-in applications during the two-day outreach program.
A total of 54 consular services were rendered during the consular outreach program, breakdown of which are as follows:
The new Deputy Consul General Imelda Panolong was also introduced to the Filipino-American Community and to Lompoc Mayor John Linn during the trip to areas in the Central Coast within the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles. There are about 26,000 Filipinos in the Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties in Southern California.
The Consulate is exploring economic opportunities in Lompoc, home of Babcock Vineyard and the Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Babcock Vineyard is rated by the world renowned James Beard Foundation of New York City as one of the ten best small production wineries in the world, with the other nine (9) found in Europe.
Vandenberg Air Force Base is operated by the 30th Space Wing and is the only military installation in the U.S. from which unarmed government and commercial satellites are launched into polar orbit.
Consul General De La Vega was accompanied by Deputy Consul General Imelda Panolong, Miguel Belen, Mindaradat Mamad, Edmund Gidaya and Amor Ibanez.
The Consular Outreach Program (COP) is a regular activity carried out by Consulate General to bring its various services closer to its constituents residing in areas within its jurisdiction. END