PH Consulate General and Commission on Filipinos Overseas Conduct First Virtual Ugnayan Sa Hawaii

HONOLULU 24 November 2020 – The Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu partnered with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) for the first online Ugnayan sa Hawaii on 21 November 20202 in Hawai, broadcasted live via Zoom and the Facebook pages of the Consulate and the CFO. 

In his opening remarks and presentation, CFO Secretary Francisco Acosta thanked overseas Filipinos for their contributions to the Philippines, including increasing annual remittances despite COVID-19.  He lauded Filipino frontliners’ abroad for their sacrifices and assured that the Philippine Government is on top of the situation despite the pandemic and recent typhoons. 

Speaking on behalf of Philippine Consul General to Hawaii Joselito A. Jimeno, Deputy Consul General Angelica C. Escalona assured the community that the Philippine Consulate General has been monitoring their situation in the midst of the global health crisis and affirmed the Consulate’s commitment to service. 

With the theme #WeRiseAsOne, the event discussed timely and relevant issues to Filipinos in Hawaii such as the US Census 2020; partnership between the Filipino Community Center and The Legal Clinic to come up with an information hub on COVID-19, and resources available to address it;  updates on immigration services and operational adjustments mandated by health protocols; Philippine current inbound and outbound travel restrictions; and, updates on CFO programs and services, particularly the Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino (Linkapil) program and the Presidential Awards for Filipino individuals and organizations. 

Fil-Am journalist Annaliza Burgos of KITV 4 Island News Hawaii hosted the online Ugnayan. END

For more information, visit https://www.honolulupcg.dfa.gov.ph, or https://www.facebook.com/PHinHonolulu/.