28 January 2016 – Philippine Consul General to Chicago Generoso D.G. Calonge led a team from the Consulate General that participated in a community outreach organized by the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) – Great Lakes Regional Network in Elgin, Illinois on January 23.

The WHIAAPI has tasked senior officials from 24 federal agencies and offices to increase access to federal programs where the AAPI communities may be underserved. Based on statistics, the AAPI as a sector currently comprises 5% of the total U.S. population, and it is estimated to grow up to 9% by 2050.

The Chicago-based Great Lakes Regional Network of the WHIAAPI, in cooperation with the Lao American Association of Illinois and the Senior Services Associates, Inc., organized the community outreach focusing on the Affordable Care Act considering that, according to figures cited by the WHIAAPI, health insurance enrollment remains a significant issue with one in four AAPIs being unable to see a doctor in the last year.

Moreover, representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Social  Security Administration (SSA), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Department of Labor – Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Small Business Administration (SBA), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Department of Housing and Urban Development (DHUD) each made a presentation on their agencies’ respective programs and services and were on hand to distribute informational materials and address questions from the participants.

Consul General Calonge lauded the WHIAAPI for conducting such an important community service for the benefit of AAPIs in Illinois. He also took the opportunity to thank federal agencies, such as the SSA, USCIS, NLRB, OSHA and EEOC, that responded to the Philippine Consulate General’s invitation to discuss their programs with the Filipino community during its own monthly gatherings and consular outreach outside Illinois the previous year.

In addition, he spoke about the difficulties of immigrants, especially during the early stages of their arrival in the U.S. He urged Asians to unite and seek more opportunities for public service to showcase Asians’ commitment to their adopted communities.

The almost day-long event likewise enabled the Consulate team to interface with Filipino-Americans in the assembly and enlarge its network of friendship and cooperation with U.S. federal officials. END