PH CONSULATE IN SF CELEBRATES 2022 INDEPENDENCE DAY WITH FLAG CEREMONY, MINDANAO CULTURAL SHOW
SAN FRANCISCO, USA – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco marked the 124th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence in true Filipino fiesta fashion, through a flag ceremony and Mindanao cultural performances in a celebration at the Philippine Center in San Francisco’s Kalayaan Hall on 11 June 2022.
Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer led the Consulate and its partner government agencies—the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Silicon Valley, the Philippine Department of Tourism Office in San Francisco, and the Philippine Social Security System Office in San Francisco—during the Philippine Independence Day celebration, which carried the theme “Kalayaan 2022: Pagsuong sa Hamon ng Panibagong Bukas (Rise Towards the Challenge of a New Beginning)”.
Against the backdrop of the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge, Philippine Tourism Attaché Marie Soleil Tropicales led the signing of the Philippine national anthem, as the national flag was being unfurled inside the Kalayaan Hall.
In his final Independence Day message as the country’s Chief Executive, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said that the “occasion is a testament to how our forefathers fought for the freedoms that we enjoy today.” “May it inspire us to take after the courage of our heroes as well as encourage us to use our ability, skills and knowledge for the benefit of our communities,” President Duterte said.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. praised Filipinos around the world for their perseverance and resilience especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Overseas Filipinos will always be a source of pride and inspiration, they are the subjects of royal honors; the gratitude and admiration of foreign nations,” Secretary Locsin said.
In his message, Consul General Ferrer said that “the Philippines is faced with a new beginning, as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and the socioeconomic challenges that came with it… [and] with the change in the country’s administration.”
Consul General Ferrer tells the Filipino Community in the U.S. Pacific Northwest: “I encourage you all to remain engaged and active especially in efforts to accelerate our national development; in causes that will advance the welfare and well-being of our kababayans; and in endeavors that will further raise the profile of the Philippines and Filipinos in the United States.”
“I invite you all to work with the Consulate, as we endeavor to strengthen the friendship and people-to-people ties between the Philippines and the United States, and expand partnerships and economic ties between our two nations,” Consul General Ferrer added.
San Francisco-based folk dance group Parangal headlined the Consulate’s Independence Day celebration with their colorful and masterful renditions of four indigenous dances from Mindanao namely Pangalay, Asik, Kapelibet, and Sagayan Kalilang—to the delight of the U.S. government officials, Filipino American Community leaders, and Consulate personnel in attendance.
This year’s festivities mark the first time since 2019 that the Consulate hosted an in-person Philippine Independence Day reception with the Filipino American Community in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Consulate has uploaded its 2022 Independence Day celebration in full on its official Facebook page: https://tinyurl.com/Kalayaan2022SFPCG. END
Officials and personnel of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco and its attached agencies pose for a family photo, following the Consulate’s celebration of the 124th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence on 11 June 2022. (San Francisco PCG photo)