PH Consulate General in San Francisco Lights Up Parols to Cheer COVID-19 Frontliners

The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco lights up parols at the Philippine Center to spread cheer amid the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on 16 April 2020. (San Francisco PCG photo)

SAN FRANCISCO 22 April 2020 – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco lit up its parols (Philippine lanterns) at the Philippine Center on Sutter Street on 16 April 2020 to show support and appreciation to all the frontliners in this Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The parols are Filipino Christmas essential décor which symbolize light and hope. According to Philippine Consul General to San Francisco Henry S. Bensurto, Jr. the parols are meant to serve as a reminder of our resilience, faith and hope, especially in the face of adversities–values that are ingrained in Philippine culture and psyche.

“We hope to spread some cheer amid these very dark times. We hope to remind our frontliners, especially our Filipino American frontliners, that together we can overcome this challenge, and that we are all in God’s care,” said Consul General Bensurto.

On behalf of the Consulate, Consul General Bensurto lauded all frontliners calling them the modern-day heroes risking their own lives to save the lives of others.

The United States has the world’s highest confirmed death toll from COVID-19 with more than 32,000 fatalities to date. END

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