PH Envoy Visit to Anchorage Reaffirms Strong Ties Between PH, Alaska
From left: Consulate General to San Francisco Henry Bensurto Jr., Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez, Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, and Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of Alaska (AAPICA) president Jesse Vizcocho at a town hall event with the Filipino-American community leaders held on 25 August 2019 at the University of Alaska Anchorage. (Washington PE photo)
WASHINGTON, D.C. 09 September 2019 – Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez conducted an official visit to Anchorage, Alaska on 25-28 August 2019 to engage with the sizable Filipino-American community there and explore the possibility of increasing economic exchanges between the Philippines and the state of Alaska.
The official visit was upon the invitation of Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan and facilitated by the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, which exercises consular jurisdiction over Alaska, and the Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of Alaska (AAPICA), led by its president Jesse Vizcocho.
Joining the Ambassador were Consul General Henry B. Bensurto, Jr., and officials from the Consulate General and the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C.
“I can tell you that I am very proud to be here in the United States as the Ambassador because everywhere I go, and every person that I meet in Washington, D.C., knows a Filipino community to be reliable and hardworking people,” Ambassador Romualdez told Filipino-American leaders at a town hall event.
“Alaska is blessed with a strong Filipino community – one of the largest, per capita, in the country,” Senator Sullivan later on tweeted.
“The strength of the U.S.-Filipino relationship for decades has been one of the core pillars of security and economic prosperity for the entire Asia-Pacific region. I think that is something that we, as Americans, as Filipino-Americans, should all take a lot of pride in,” Senator Sullivan said in his remarks at the town hall event.
Ambassador Romualdez and Consul General Bensurto had the opportunity to engage with members of the Filipino-American community during a visit at the Anchorage plant of Copper River Seafoods, a premier producer of Alaska seafood and one of the largest employers of Filipino-Americans in the state.
They also met with Deputy Commissioner Nelson San Juan of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and Joy Maglaqi, who works at the Anchorage Mayor’s office.
The Ambassador’s delegation likewise dined at the Filipino restaurant Bahay Kubo owned by Filipino-American Maricel Medina and engaged with several faculty members and students of the University of Alaska Anchorage.
In separate meetings, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz noted the vital contributions of the Filipino-American community to the history and continued progress of the Last Frontier. For the part of the Philippine Government, Ambassador Romualdez and Consul General Bensurto pledged to improve further the delivery of services to kababayan in Alaska.
Ambassador Romualdez also addressed the business community in Anchorage as the featured guest at a “Make It Monday” forum co-organized by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and the Alaska World Affairs Council. The forum included a wide-ranging conversation with Senator Sullivan followed by a Q&A moderated by Lise Falskow, president and CEO of the Alaska World Affairs Council.
The Ambassador further pursued economic discussions with Commissioner Julie Anderson of Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development; Jim Szczesniak, Manager of the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport; Bill Popp, president and CEO of the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation; and Michael Kohan, Seafood Technical Director at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.
While in Anchorage, Ambassador Romualdez also met with U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs Theodore Garrish to discuss future energy partnerships between the Philippines and the US.
“Alaska’s strategic location and resources, not to mention the strong presence of the Filipino-American community, make it a very attractive and logical partner for us, particularly on key sectors like logistics, seafood processing, tourism, and energy. Our meetings in Anchorage started important conversations about how to realize these potential synergies,” Ambassador Romualdez said.
Alaska is home to around 30,000 Filipino-Americans who represent the biggest immigrant group in the state. The majority of them are in Anchorage, which is also where 40 percent of Alaskans reside. Filipino-Americans in the state are engaged in the fisheries industry, service sector, tourism, local government, medical industry, among other fields. END
Ambassador Romualdez (fourth rom right) and Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy (second from left) cite the strong relationship between the Philippines and the United States, and the vital contributions of the Filipino-American community in Alaska in the state's history and progress. Joining Governor Dunleavy are Commissioner Julie Anderson (first from left), Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development; and Deputy Commissioner Nelson San Juan (third from left), Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. (Governor's Office, Austin McDaniel photo)
Ambassador Romualdez (right) and US Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs Theodore Garrish (left) explore the possibility of energy cooperation between the Philippines and the United States, particularly with regard to liquefied natural gas. (Washington PE photo)
From left: Mr. Vizcocho, Consul General Bensurto, Alaska Department of Commerce-Community and Economic Development Deputy Commissioner John Springsteen, Alaska Department of Commerce-Community and Economic Development Commissioner Julie Anderson, Ambassador Romualdez, Alaska Department of Commerce-Division of Economic Development Director Matthew Fagnani, Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development Deputy Commissioner Nelson San Juan, and AAPICA director Anthony Caole. (Washington PE photo)
For more information, visit https://www.washingtonpe.dfa.gov.ph, www.philippineembassy-usa.org, https://www.facebook.com/PHinUSA or https://www.twitter.com/philippinesusa