PH CONSULATE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND UC BERKELEY REAFFIRM PARTNERSHIP IN PROMOTING PHILIPPINE STUDIES
The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley sign a grant agreement that aims to promote the University’s Philippine Studies program held at UC Berkeley Institute of East Asian Studies. L-R: Vice Consul Glaiza Quarteros, Ms. Joy Ayson-Yu, Assistant Director, Sponsored Projects Office of UC Berkeley, Mr. Jason Cheung, Contract and Grant Officer, Sponsored Projects Office of UC Berkeley, and Prof. Penny Edwards, Director of the Institute of East Asian Studies (San Francisco PCG photo)
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, USA – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco and the Regents of the University of California (UC) Berkeley have signed a renewed agreement to further strengthen and advance Philippine Studies at the University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies and Institute of East Asian Studies, reaffirming their shared commitment to promoting academic engagement, research, and greater understanding of Philippine history, culture, and society.
Prof. Penny Edwards, Director of the Institute of East Asian Studies, expressed her appreciation for the Consulate’s continued support to the Philippine Studies Program.
Consul General Neil Ferrer, who signed the agreement on behalf of the Consulate, noted that the Consulate’s partnership with UC Berkeley has contributed to greater understanding of the Philippines and its relationship with the United States. The renewed agreement involves a PHP 430,000 grant extended to the University through the Office of Cultural Diplomacy of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The grant aims to further promote Philippine Studies by enhancing its Filipiniana collections, supporting research and publications on the Philippines, deepening Philippine Studies as an area of academic focus, and contributing to the development of experts in the field, among other related programs and activities.
The renewal of the agreement builds on earlier cooperation between the Consulate and UC Berkeley, including a 2024 agreement providing a PHP 1 million grant to the University through the congressional initiative of Senator Loren Legarda. The program’s flagship project, the Annual Andrew Gonzalez Lecture–named after UC Berkeley alumnus, linguist, university president, and former Secretary of Education, Brother Andrew Gonzalez, FSC–features lectures delivered by eminent figures in Philippine arts and letters based in the Philippines, further enriching scholarly engagement on Philippine studies in the United States.END
Ms. Joy Ayson-Yu, Assistant Director (center) and Mr. Jason Cheung, Contract and Grant Officer (rightmost) of the Sponsored Projects Office of UC Berkeley sign the 2025 grant agreement to promote UC Berkeley’s Philippine Studies program (San Francisco PCG photo)
From L-R: Ms. Joy Ayson-Yu, Assistant Director, Sponsored Projects Office of UC Berkeley, Vice Consul Glaiza Quarteros, Prof. Penny Edwards, Director of the Institute of East Asian Studies, and Mr. Jason Cheung, Contract and Grant Officer, Sponsored Projects Office of UC Berkeley (San Francisco PCG photo)