CONSUL GENERAL FERRER JOINS UP ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF SF ON ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Philippine Consul General Neil Ferrer addresses the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of San Francisco during its 50th anniversary gala at Embassy Suites San Francisco Airport Waterfront in Burlingame, California on 14 October 2023. (San Francisco PCG photo)
BURLINGAME, CALIFORNIA, USA – Philippine Consul General Neil Ferrer and Madame Miriam Ferrer joined fellow alumni from the University of the Philippines (UP) during the 50th anniversary gala of the UP Alumni Association of San Francisco (UPAASF) on 14 October 2023.
New UP System President Angelo Jimenez, UP Alumni Regent Robert Lester Aranton, and UP Diliman Fine Arts Assistant Professor Abdulmari Toym Imao Jr. traveled from the Philippines to join the celebration.
Also among the dignitaries present was Filipino American California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who introduced his mother, Fil-Am Community leader and UPAASF Distinguished Alumna awardee Cynthia Bonta.
In his remarks, Consul General Ferrer thanked UP President Jimenez for visiting San Francisco during his first year as the UP System’s top official.
“I wish to offer a helping hand in strengthening UP’s partnerships with higher education institutions in the states under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, such as the Philippine California Advanced Research Institutes or the PCARI project with the University of California System,” Consul General Ferrer said.
Consul General Ferrer feted the UPAASF for its contributions in “pursuing the interests of the Philippines and of the Filipino American Community in the Bay Area.”
The Philippine Consul General cited the annual Cultural Immersion Summer Camp for Fil-Am youth, which the Consulate has hosted for the past 10 years, linkages between UP Diliman’s UPSCALE Innovation Hub and Silicon Valley techpreneurs, and the donation of COVID-19 saliva testing kits to UP Manila’s Philippine General Hospital.
“As you enter your sixth decade, may the UPAASF remain true to our Alma Mater’s time-honored values of honor and excellence, and may it continue to give meaning to the ideals that the UP Oblation represent—that of offering one’s self in the service of the Philippines and of the Filipino people,” said Consul General Ferrer, who also expressed willingness to broaden the Consulate’s partnerships with the UPAASF.
During the program, the UPAASF presented to UP President Jimenez a $10,000-check for improvements to Kalayaan Residence Hall, UP Diliman’s dormitory for first-year students, and launched the UPAASF Mentoring Program, an online platform that allows UPAASF members as well as experts from the Bay Area and Silicon Valley to mentor UP faculty members, students and researchers. END
Evangeline Quesada; Madame Miriam Ferrer; UP System President Angelo Jimenez; UPAASF President Rosario Calderon; UPAASF Board Member Letty Quizon; UPAASF Distinguished Alumna awardee Cynthia Bonta; Marcelo Bonta; UPAASF Board Member Sonia Delen; and Ramar Foods President Susie Quesada. (San Francisco PCG photo)