PHILIPPINE FLAG FLIES AT CITY HALL OF SAN JOSE, CAPITAL OF SILICON VALLEY, FOR PH INDEPENDENCE DAY
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, USA – The Philippine flag flew proudly alongside the flags of the United States and California at the San Jose City Hall, as the “Capital of Silicon Valley” celebrated Philippine Independence Day—the 125th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence.
Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer joined San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and the Filipino American Community in a Philippine flag-raising ceremony on 12 June 2023. Fil-Am South San Francisco Mayor Buenaflor Nicolas also attended the event.
Wearing his Barong Tagalog, Mayor Mahan took part in the flag ceremony for the first time as the city’s new chief executive, and gave his remarks where he commended the contributions of the Filipino American Community in his city.
Mayor Mahan also cited the recent renaming of a public space in East San Jose as the Delano Manongs Park, in honor of the Fil-Am farmworker movement in the 1960s.
In his speech, Consul General Ferrer expressed his gratitude to the local government for its continued recognition of the 107,000-strong Filipino American Community in San Jose and the greater Santa Clara County.
The Philippine Consul General stated that he looks forward to further strengthening the people-to-people ties between the Philippines and the United States, through the establishment of sister city relations between San Jose and a Philippine city in the near future.
He also extended the Consulate’s reassurances of support to programs and projects that will make San Jose a “safe, inclusive and thriving space for everyone regardless of color, race or creed.”
Bay Area resident Sarah Balabagan-Sereno—whose high-profile case in the 1990s shed light on the plight of Overseas Filipino Workers around the world—sang the Philippine national anthem, and gave an inspirational talk during the reception.
Organized by the Bayanihan Fil-Am Foundation and the Filipino American City Employees of San Jose, the event marks the revival of the annual Philippine Independence Day flag ceremony at the San Jose City Hall, which took a pause for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. END
