As part of the thrust of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco to promote Philippine culture and to engage with the Filipino community in the Bay Area, Philippine Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer virtually met with the Filipino American faculty at the University of California (UC) Berkeley’s South and Southeast Asian Studies (SSEAS) on 14 December 2021. He was joined during the Zoom call by Consul Vanessa G. Bago-Llona and Vice Consul Adrian Audrey L. Baccay.
During the virtual meeting, Consul General Ferrer underscored the Consulate’s support for Filipino studies and language programs at the UC Berkeley. The Filipino American faculty members then mentioned their goal of having a Filipino language center at the UC Berkeley, which can serve other UC campuses across California, and a Filipino American Studies Department through an endowment fund.
Consul General Ferrer met with: Ms. Cynthia Agnes Aban, the first Filipino lecturer of the Filipino and Southeast Asian performing arts course for beginners at UC Berkeley; Ms. Joi Barrios-Leblanc, UC Berkeley lecturer who spearheads a summer immersion program of UC Berkeley students in the Philippines, in coordination with the University of the Philippines; Ms. Karen Llagas, UC Berkeley lecturer who teaches Filipino language and culture; and Ms. Melissa Urbano, staff member at UC Berkeley’s University Development and Alumni Relations office, and officer at Cal Pilipinx American Alumni Chapter. (San Francisco PCG screenshot)