VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA, USA – Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Frank R. Ferrer attends a pre-Veterans Day reception hosted by Mayor Robert McConnell at the City Hall of Vallejo, California on 10 November 2021. The reception served as a pre-event for the city’s main Veterans Day commemoration on 11 November 2021 at the Mare Island Naval Cemetery—the final resting place of more than 1,000 veterans, including 13 Filipino sailors who served before the First World War. During the reception, Consul General Ferrer paid tribute to Filipino veterans who served during the Second World War, as the 80th anniversary of the start of the war in the Pacific Theater approaches. He also cited how the Philippines and the U.S. “drew strength from one another during one of the darkest periods in world history,” as the two countries mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties. He added that the conferment in 2016 of the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal on Filipino World War II veterans is a further testament to “the enduring bonds between our two peoples.” Filipinos and Filipino Americans make up around 25 percent of Vallejo’s population. Filipinos came to Vallejo as early as 1912, where most found well-paying jobs at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. (San Francisco PCG photo)
Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Frank R. Ferrer (third from left) joins Vallejo Mayor Robert McConnell (third from right) and other city officials during a pre-Veterans Day reception at the City Hall of Vallejo, California on 10 November 2021. Also in the photo are, from left to right: Vallejo Councilmember Cristina Arriola; Veterans of Foreign Wars National Organization Vice Commander-in-Chief Duane Sarmiento; Vallejo Vice Mayor Rozzana Verder-Aliga; and Vallejo Councilmember Katy Miessner. (San Francisco PCG photo)
