29 April 2014 - The Philippine Consulate General in New York and the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Pennsylvania and South New Jersey (PACC-PASNJ) jointly organized the launching of the “Taste of the Philippines & 9th Ambassadors, Consuls General & Tourism Directors Tour to the Philippines (ACGTDT)” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 4.
About 85 participants and guests from business and government sectors as well as members of the Filipino American community attended the occasion which was held at the Conference Center of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.
Consul General Mario De Leon, Jr., Deputy Consul General Zaldy Patron and PACC Chairman of the Board Dr. Rommel Rivera and President Brad Baldia led the organizers of the double event.
In his remarks, Consul General De Leon said that the Taste of the Philippines was a “way of injecting the Philippines into the consciousness of 
people.” He expressed hope that “by allowing the guests to have a taste of Philippine food and drinks, they will be encouraged to know more about the country and, eventually, to visit it so they can experience for themselves its natural beauty and the warmth of the Filipinos.”
The Taste of the Philippines featured tapas and dishes prepared by Filipino chefs of Manila Café, Philippine Jeepney Grille, Tropical Hut and Philly Pinoy.
Philippine-made Haliya mango wine, Amadeo coffee liquor, San Miguel Beer and fruit juices were also served throughout the event.
For an entrance fee paid to the PACC-PASNJ, each guest was given 10 small servings of tapas and dishes and two drinks of their choice.
The Rondalla Group of the Philippine Folk Arts Society Inc. was also around to entertain the guests with live music.
Ms. Mitchelle Dy, Officer-in-Charge, of the Philippine Department of Tourism of New York, briefed the audience about the features of the 9th ACGTDDT which will take place on 28 July to 3 August 2014.
The 9th Ambassadors’ Tour is composed of 4-day basic tour program in Manila and an optional travel outside Manila. The package price for the basic tour, roundtrip ticket (via JFK International Airport in New York) and four-night accommodation at Dusit Thani in Makati City costs $2,285 per traveler (based on twin sharing at the hotel). It marked the first time that the annual Ambassadors’ Tour was launched in Philadelphia.
Interested parties can contact PDOT-NY directly at tel.: (212) 575-7915, fax: (212) 302-6759 and email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. More information can be found at its website http://philippinetourismny.org/Events/Events.html.
PACC will use part of the proceeds of the double event to fund livelihood projects for the survivors of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in the Philippines. END