23 November 2015 – San Francisco City Mayor Edwin Lee invited the Philippine Consulate General to attend the Mayor’s Reception in celebration of Filipino-American History Month last October 28 at the San Francisco City Hall.
At City Hall’s Rotunda, Mayor Lee congratulated the Filipino community on the 11th celebration of Filipino-American History Month, recounting the contributions of the community to America, notably the Filipino farmers’ strike and demand for equitable wages. He reiterated his support for the Filipino community, mentioning how in the recent local elections, the voting documents included instructions in Filipino in cognizance of Filipino being the third language of the City of San Francisco. He added that he looks forward to working with the Filipino community members to protect, preserve, stabilize and build for the future. He thanked Philippine Consul General Henry S. Bensurto, Jr. for his effective leadership of the Consulate and the Filipino-American community.
Consul General Bensurto was invited to be one of the speakers at the event, along with Assembly Member Rob Bonta. He expressed his pleasure in the recent developments in the United States and San Francisco that directly affects the Filipino-American community, specifically the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHAAPI) celebration of Filipino-American History Month at the White House for the first time, which was “an affirmation from the country’s seat of power recognizing that Filipinos play a crucial role in the nation-building of the United States.”
Consul General Bensurto added that the Filipino community welcomes the bill introduced by Assembly Member Rob Bonta declaring October 25 as Larry Itliong Day, recognizing the pivotal role of the Filipino farmers during the Delano Grape Strike, and how the partnership between the Filipino and Mexican laborers sparked wide-sweeping reforms in the US agricultural sector.
He likewise welcomed developments in two proposed legislations. The first is to establish SoMa Pilipinas, the Filipino cultural heritage district that would preserve the Filipino American community in South of Market, with the support if Board Supervisors Jane Kim, John Avalos and Eric Mar, and encouraged the other members of the Board to also endorse SoMa Pilipinas. The second is the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ support of House Resolution 2737, a legislation that seeks to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Filipino soldiers who fought alongside American soldiers during World War II, recognizing the latter’s seminal role in turning the tide of war towards an Allied victory.
He encouraged the Filipino community to live up to its potential. Filipinos are the second-largest Asian-American population in California, and the fastest growing population that showed an increase of 34% between 2000 and 2010, faster than the Latino and Asian populations. He added that Filipinos in California are educated and are home owners, and challenged the community to unite and harness their potential and realize how “powerful a united community can be, and how much can be accomplished if we set our minds to achieving our goals together.”
Assembly Member Rob Bonta committed to continuing to work for causes that would benefit the Filipino American community.
The reception included a program where a rondalla group and Parangal Dance Company performed traditional music and dances from the Luzon islands. Several Filipino restaurants donated Filipino cuisine, drinks and liqueur, which guests were able to sample. END