29 April 2014 – The Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu, together with their families and some members of the Filipino-American community in Hawaii, hosted an Aloha and Mahalo Party for outgoing Consul General Julius and Dr. Milali Torres at the Consulate’s Alay sa Sakada Lanai on April 24.
Aloha and Mahalo, in the Hawaiian language, means “Hello and/or Good-bye” and “Thank you”, respectively.
Consul General Torres is scheduled to return to Manila on 29 April 2014, wrapping up his two-and-a-half-year tour of duty as Head of Post of the Consulate General in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In his remarks, Consul General Torres conveyed that he was both happy and sad to leave a place which now occupies a “very special place in his heart…especially with the genuine warmth of the Filipino-American community, and the indescribable beauty and mystery of the island.”
Some of the notable accomplishments and legacies of Consul General Torres include the dedication of a portion of the Consulate General as the Alay Sakada Lanai which proudly displays memorabilia, keepsakes and mementos from and about the early sakadas, the early plantation workers from the Philippines, the Filipino-American veterans of World War II, former Governor Benjamin Cayetano, the first Filipino-American to serve as Governor in the US and the late Senator Daniel K. Inouye.
During his term, Consul General Torres also spearheaded the beautification and improvement of the Consulate General building, upgraded its security, enhanced the Consulate’s quality of services to its clientele, fostered better relations with the US Pacific Command, and also promoted better appreciation of Filipino culture by staging major cultural projects such as the Annual Parol Festival and the Kampeon sa Kusina.
Consul General Torres, who hails from Botolan, Zambales, is a BS Journalism graduate from the University of the Philippines. He arrived in Honolulu in December 2011 to assume his duties as Consul General, after his stint as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippines in Amman Jordan. His other foreign assignments include posts in Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and North America. END