PH Consulate General in San Francisco Celebrates Filipino-American History Month in Washington

Consul Jed Llona (center) with the awardees for the 2019 Filipino-American History Month Celebration in Kenmore, Washington, Bengie Santos for Arts & Culture (leftmost), Nate Caminos for Community Advocacy (second  from right), and Peter Antolin for Government Service (rightmost). Also in the photo is Ellen Abellera from Fil-Am Resources for Educational Advancement for Culture and Technology(REACT)(second from left). (San Francisco PCG photo)

SAN FRANCISCO 07 November 2019 — The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco joined the Filipino-American community in Washington in celebrating Filipino-American History Month on 24 October 2019.

The event was held at the City Hall of Kenmore, Washington, and organized by the Filipino American Resources for Educational Advancement, Culture, and Technology (FIL-AM REACT), a non-profit organization of Filipino-Americans in the Washington state.

Washington State Representative and Interim Speaker of the Washington House of Representatives John Lovick attended the event and expressed appreciation to the Filipino-American community for their contributions to the state.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee sent a Proclamation officially declaring October as Filipino American History Month in the State of Washington, in recognition of the contributions of Filipino-Americans, especially those serving with distinction in the U.S. Military.

During the event, the following Filipino-Americans were awarded for their notable contributions to the Filipino-American community.

For Government Service, Peter Antolin was awarded in recognition of his 32 years of service with the Washington State Government. He worked under five previous Governors of Washington, serving in various offices.

For Community Advocacy, Nate Caminos, was awarded for his work as Director for Government Relations at the Port of Seattle and previously as State Outreach Director for Senator Maria Cantwell, as well as his involvement in various organizations.

For Arts & Culture, Bengie Santos was awarded for her contributions as a teacher, performer, and choreographer for more than 25 years. She has been actively involved in community events as a co-founder of the annual Pista sa Nayon.

Consul Jed Llona congratulated the awardees for their hard work and respective contributions to the community. He likewise commended the community for organizing activities that spark love and passion for Philippine heritage and culture, connect them with like-minded individuals, and empower them to make transformative changes in their communities and beyond.

Fil-Am REACT urged members of the community to participate in the forthcoming U.S. census in 2020, for their numbers to be accurately counted. END

For more information, visit https://www.sanfranciscopcg.dfa.gov.ph,   https://www.philippinessanfrancisco.org  or https://www.facebook.com/PHinSF/.