VALLEJO’S PISTA SA NAYON KICKS OFF 2023 PH INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS IN THE BAY AREA
VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco joined the annual Pista sa Nayon Festival at the Mare Island Coal Sheds in Vallejo, California, kicking off the celebrations of Philippine Independence Day in the Bay Area.
Organized by the community-run Philippine Cultural Committee, Pista sa Nayon returned to Mare Island and assembled Filipino American cultural performers, martial artists, food stalls and trucks, and handicraft pop-ups.
In her remarks, Deputy Consul General Raquel Solano expressed her gratitude to the Solano County Board of Supervisors and the Vallejo City Council for issuing separate resolutions, declaring June as Philippine Cultural Month in Solano County and Vallejo, respectively.
Deputy Consul General Solano also thanked the Philippine Cultural Committee for spearheading the Pista sa Nayon through the years, and lauded Vallejo’s 57,000-strong Filipino American Community.
“We are extremely proud of what our Filipino diaspora have made of themselves, of the work that they do for this wonderful community, and for their communities back home in the Philippines. May you continue to take part in the Filipinos’ quest for peace, progress, and development,” Deputy Consul General Solano said.
Fil-Am California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Fil-Am U.S. Navy Chief of Legislative Affairs Rear Admiral Leonard “Butch” Dollaga headlined the event.
Other prominent officials present include California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Fil-Am former West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, Vallejo Mayor Robert McConnell, American Canyon Mayor Leon Garcia, and Fil-Am Vallejo Vice Mayor Rozzana Verder-Aliga.
The Mare Island Coal Sheds hosted the Pista sa Nayon for the second year in a row. In the early 1900s, the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard attracted Filipinos to work and eventually settle in Vallejo, creating one of the first Filipino Communities in the United States. END
