PH Consulate General in San Francisco Starts First-ever Virtual Summer Camp on PH Language, Culture

Philippine Consul General to San Francisco Henry S. Bensurto, Jr., addresses the participants and parents during the opening of e-Pilipino Natin, a virtual summer camp on Philippine Language and Culture in San Francisco on 28 July 2020. (San Francisco PCG photo)

SAN FRANCISCO 03 August 2020 – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, in cooperation with the Museo ng Lahing Pilipino and Sentro Rizal San Francisco, began its first-ever virtual summer camp on Philippine language and culture entitled, “e-Pilipino Natin”, on 28 July 2020, from 5 PM to 6 PM (Pacific Time) via the cloud app Zoom.

“E-Pilipino Natin” is a five-week session summer camp held every Tuesdays and Thursdays and will run until 28 August 2020. The summer camp seeks to provide an interactive platform for Filipino American children to learn Philippine language and culture from the comfort of their homes during the global pandemic. 

During the virtual opening of “e-Pilipino Natin”, Philippine Consul General to San Francisco Henry S. Bensurto, Jr. welcomed the participants and thanked their parents for being proactive and supportive of their children’s interest to know more about the Philippines. 

He highlighted the importance of teaching young Filipino Americans about Philippine language and culture and fostering love of the country of origin of their ancestors.

“We wish to enable our young Filipino Americans to learn about our Philippine language and our rich Philippine culture and heritage and help develop their love of country,” said Consul General Bensurto. 

The pilot virtual summer camp is participated in by 18 Filipino American children aged 6-11 years old from the San Francisco Bay Area and Oregon state. Filipino American educator Mr. Vincent Peter Ty, who is based in New York, serves as the volunteer resource person for the summer camp. 

The virtual summer camp is part of the Consulate General’s cultural diplomacy program, which is anchored on its Spark*Connect*Empower* (SCE) Movement. The SCE aims to provide and facilitate the conduct of programs and activities that spark interest and pride in Philippine culture and heritage. SCE activities aim to connect Filipinos and Filipino-Americans with each other, with their community, with their country, and with their heritage and empower them in the process. END

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