PH Consulate General in New York Convenes 6th Fil-Am Community General Assembly

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez (front, center) and Philippine Consul General to New York Claro S. Cristobal (front, left) with Filipino-American community leaders under the jurisdiction of the Consulate in New York during the general assembly on 08 February 2020. (Michael Azucena photo)

NEW YORK 24 February 2020 ­­– The Philippine Consulate General in New York convened the sixth Filipino-American community General Assembly in the United States Northeastern seaboard on 08 February 2020 at the Philippine Center in New York.

The General Assembly discussed important matters affecting Filipino-Americans in the ten states under the jurisdiction of the Consulate.

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez delivered the keynote address in the annual event, which was attended this year by 200 community leaders representing 93 organizations. "The dream of any Philippine Ambassador to the US is to unify the Filipino community because you are a potent force in country," Ambassador Romualdez said.

"Sometimes we have discussions and misunderstandings on some issues, but at the end of the day, Filipino ka pa rin (you are still a Filipino) and you should be proud of that," Ambassador Romualdez added.

Ambassador Romualdez likewise talked about the strong bilateral relations between the Philippines and the United States, and discussed the vibrant democracy and fully functioning legal processes in the Philippines. He emphasized the importance of sovereignty and of the need for the Philippines to be a strong and self-sufficient country.

Philippine Consul General to New York Claro S. Cristobal presented to the community a report on the highlights of the accomplishments of the Consulate in 2019, including the new programs that were initiated like the Post Arrival Orientation Seminar (PAOS) for newly-arrived school children and their family and entrepreneurship training for Filipino women. Consul General Cristobal said that last year, the Filipino Restaurant Week, one of the major projects of the Consulate, expanded to Massachusetts, Washington D.C., Virginia, and Maryland with the participation of the Philippine Embassy.

Consul General Cristobal likewise presented the Consulate's calendar of programs and activities for 2020 including the consular outreach and Consulate Saturday schedules. He underscored the importance of participating in the census, both in the United States and in the Philippines, and encouraged the leaders to be involved in complete-count efforts of the community. He also provided the latest update on the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation in the Philippines and New York.

Representatives of attached agencies took part in the general assembly to share their programs and priorities for 2020: Mr. Francisco Lardizabal of Philippine Department of Tourism in New York, Mr. Nicanor Bautista of Philippine Trade and Investment Center, Ms. Celenia Dimaano of Social Security System (SSS), Atty. Angela Trinidad of Philippine Overseas Labor Office, Ms. Josephine Sanchez-Tobia of Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and Mr. Michael Azucena of Pag-IBIG.

In the general assembly, two panel discussions highlighted issues important for the Filipino-American community. The first panel tackled the topic "Inspiring Involvement of Young Filipino-Americans" and explored the issues facing young Filipino-American leaders and how they can be more involved in community matters.

The second panel discussed the topic "Broadening Involvement in Local Community Building and Socio-Political Processes", which was moderated by Chief of Staff-New York State Assembly Steven Raga.

Updates and reminders on consular requirements and processes were also provided. END

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez (right) and Philippine Consul General to New York Claro S. Cristobal (left) entertain questions from the community leaders. (New York PCG photo)

From left: Mr. Brendan Flores, Ms. Venessa Manzano, Ms. Jennifer Coliflores, and Mr. Noah Benipayo discuss their topic during the firt panel of the general assembly. (New York PCG photo)

From left: Mr. Steven Raga, Ms. Deirdre Marie Levy, Ms. Ayesha Vera-Yu, and Mr. Rolando Lavarro, Jr. discuss their involvement in community building and socio-political processes. (New York PCG photo)

For more information, visit https://www.newyorkpcg.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.newyorkpcg.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinNY/.