19 November 2014 - Filipinos in the County of Hawaii availed themselves of the consular services extended by the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu during its two-day mobile consular outreach program from November 15 to 16 in Hilo, County of Hawaii.
Philippine Consul General Gina A. Jamoralin, in her very first consular mission in the State of Hawaii, led a consular team of eight personnel who rendered a total of 554 passport applications and renewals, visa, civil registry, notarial and authentication, dual citizenship services and registration for overseas voters in the island. The activity was held in coordination with the Office of Mayor Billy Kenoi, and volunteers from the Filipino community in Hilo.
The County of Hawaii, more properly known as the Big Island, owing to its geographical size, is home to around 41,000 residents of Filipino ancestry, comprising 22% of the island’s population. Most of the Filipinos in the island are farmers and plantation workers.
Following is the breakdown of consular services rendered:
While in Hilo, Philippine Consul General Jamoralin met with Deputy Managing Director of the County of Hawaii Randy Kurohara on November 14 for a customary introductory call to the Mayor’s office as the new Philippine Consul General in Honolulu, as well as to express her appreciation for the assistance and arrangements made by the Mayor’s office for the conduct of the consular outreach. She also informed Mr. Kurohara of the upcoming programs and activities of the Philippine Consulate General.
Mr. Kurohara updated the Consul General of the measures and courses of action by the County regarding the advancing volcano lava flow which has affected the Puna and Pahoa districts in the Big Island. Consul General Jamoralin said that she is impressed with the swift actions and precautionary measures of the County of Hawaii, in partnership with other agencies such as the Civil Defense agency, US Geological Survey and other state and federal agencies, to prevent, or alleviate the situation. She also said that the Philippines, like the County of Hawaii, is vulnerable to natural disasters like typhoons, earthquakes and volcanic eruption and expressed hope that the State of Hawaii, particularly the County of Hawaii, could share its best practices, methods and technical assistance with the Philippines to equip the Philippine government with necessary skills and resources to manage these natural disasters.
During the reception hosted by the Filipino community in Hilo on the evening of November 14, Consul General Jamoralin apprised the attendees with the latest projects and advocacies of the Consulate General such as registration for overseas voting, campaign for Vigan City as one of the “Seven New Wonder-Cities of the World” and the 10th Ambassadors, Consuls General and Tourism Directors Tour (ACGTDT) to the Philippines in July 2015.
Council member Greggor Ilagan, who is of Filipino heritage, also met with Consul General Jamoralin and updated her of the lava flow situation in Puna Makai in his district, District 4, which is the most affected area. Consul General Jamoralin thanked Council member Ilagan for regularly sending updates to the Consulate General and assured him that these reports and other related information are widely disseminated to Filipinos in the state for their information.
In response to the request by the Filipino community for more consular outreach activities to the Big Island in the future, Consul General Jamoralin committed to holding four consular missions in the island in 2015, two in Hilo, and another two in Kona, Hawaii. END