PH CONSULATE TAKES PART IN SAN JOSE CITY HALL LIGHTING, PH FLAG-RAISING FOR FILIPINO AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH
The City Hall of San Jose, California was lit in blue, red, and yellow colors of the Philippine flag during the city’s celebration of Filipino American History Month on 13 October 2023. (San Francisco PCG photo)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, USA – The “Capital of Silicon Valley” joined the nationwide celebration of Filipino American History Month on 13 October 2023—with the lighting of the City Hall with the national colors of the Philippines, and a Philippine flag-raising ceremony.
The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, led by Consul General Neil Ferrer and Mrs. Miriam Ferrer, joined the occasion, organized by the offices of San Jose City Councilmembers David Cohen and Peter Ortiz, and the Filipino Americans Coming Together San Jose (FACT-SJ) Coalition.
Consul General Ferrer said that it is important to celebrate Filipino American History Month to shine a spotlight on the important role of Filipinos in American history and society, and their vital contributions to Philippines-U.S. relations.
In his speech, Consul General Ferrer commended the rising number of Filipino Americans in Silicon Valley who are now “active partners in Philippine development and nation-building,” and cited the achievements of young Fil-Ams who have “broken the bamboo ceiling” such as F1 Academy winner Bianca Bustamante of San Jose, and FIFA World Cup goal scorer Sarina Bolden of the South Bay.
“My sincerest gratitude goes to Mayor Matt Mahan and the San Jose City Council for their continued recognition of our 65,000-strong Filipino American Community in San Jose, through the issuance last October 3 of a proclamation declaring October as Filipino American History Month. We are especially proud of the invaluable contributions of our community in the Bay Area’s largest city, including in the fields of healthcare, hospitality, and high technology,” Consul General Ferrer said.
The Philippine Consul General then urged FACT-SJ and other Filipino American organizations “to further strengthen the ties that bind between our two peoples, by working with the community and the San Jose City Council to enter into a sister city agreement with a Philippine city in the near future.”
“I hope that our Filipino American Community will realize that establishing San Jose’s first Philippine sister city is a great way to remain engaged in the national affairs of the homeland, the Philippines, through cultural, educational, scientific, technological and business exchanges that will be opened up by the sister city agreement,” Consul General Ferrer said.
Throughout the event, Filipino cultural dances and Original Pilipino Music were performed, while Filipino fusion food boxes were given away courtesy of popular Bay Area food truck Los Kuyas. END
(San Francisco PCG photos)