Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco

“The Consulate welcomes Kaya Founders’ expansion and reach among early-stage startups, and we hope that more startups could be supported and could thrive to solve a number of societal challenges and address pain points,” said Consul General Ferrer.

Kaya Founders Managing Partner Paulo Campos encourages returning overseas Filipinos, or what he refers to as pawikan (sea turtles), to join in nation-building and give back to the country by investing talent and capital, and harnessing the benefits of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Read more in the link in the comments section.

Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer participated in a workshop aimed at advancing artificial intelligence initiatives in the Philippines. The discussions highlighted developments and strategic collaborations in the AI sector, crucial for enhancing economic growth and improving the quality of life for Filipinos.

Read more in the link in the comments section.

Izumisano, Japan is Daly City’s second international sister city, following Quezon City in the Philippines. A similar presentation was held in July 2023, when a delegation led by Quezon City Administrator Mike Alimurung signed an agreement on behalf of Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte to renew the two cities’ longstanding sister city ties.

The “sister city” is the highest form of inter-local government partnership, forging exchange and cooperation in the pursuit of mutually-beneficial objectives along the socio-cultural, environmental, and economic aspects of development.

Read more in the link in the comments section.

Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer recently met with engineering and innovation leaders at UPSCALE Innovation Hub at the National Engineering Center of the University of the Philippines, to discuss potential collaboration especially in fostering innovation in the areas of startup development and artificial intelligence (AI).

AI-native startup Amini also met with key members of UP’s AI program leaders. They discussed potential areas for Global South collaboration.

Read more in the link in the comments section.

Today, 23 July 2024, we commemorate the 160th birth anniversary of Apolinario Mabini—the “Sublime Paralytic,” Philippine revolutionary hero, and the Philippines’ first Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

In May 1898 or before Philippine independence was proclaimed in Kawit, Mabini wrote “El Verdadero Decalogo” (“The True Decalogue”) to spell out the ideals that he believed the Philippine revolution should possess. After a long and tumultuous experience with colonial rule, the Decalogue became a code of good citizenship and moral conduct for Filipinos as they navigate the challenges of running a fledging republic.

In his introduction to the Decalogue, Mabini said: “To be able to establish the true structure of our social regeneration, it is necessary for us to change radically, not only our institutions, but also our way of living and thinking. It is important to undergo an internal and external revolution at the same time; it is necessary to establish a more solid basis for moral education and to foreswear the vices that we have inherited.”

SPOTLIGHT: Want to try America’s best fast food fried chicken?

USA Today’s 2024 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards has named Philippine fast food chain giant Jollibee USA as the No. 1 quick-service restaurant for fried chicken in the United States, besting nine other popular chains.

The USA Today review reads: “[Jollibee is] best known for Chickenjoy, the signature juicy, flavorful fried chicken. Order it in buckets or accompanied by sides—and don't forget to dip it in their silky gravy.”

Nominees for the 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards are submitted by a panel of quick-service dining experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees, which USA Today readers can vote for.

Jollibee has multiple locations in the Bay Area, and recently opened its third store in Washington State in Seattle.

(“Spotlight” is a social media series by the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, featuring good news from the Philippines as well as the Filipino Community in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.)

A total of 58 individuals from the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco's jurisdiction are embarking on a ten-day journey to experience the beauty and warmth of the Philippines. They will be exploring the vibrant cities of Manila, Bacolod, and Cagayan de Oro.

The Very Important Pinoy (VIP) Tour is designed to showcase the Philippines’ rich culture, stunning landscapes, and renowned hospitality. The Consulate hopes that this experience will foster a deeper connection to their homeland among the participants.

Read more in the link in the comments section.

REMINDER: The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco will hold a consular outreach in Pinole, California this Saturday, 27 July 2024.

Passport and dual citizenship appointments for this outreach ARE STILL AVAILABLE. Check out the infographic for the links and QR codes to the online appointment websites.

‼️ANNOUNCEMENT‼️ This July, the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco goes to the East Bay!

The consular outreach in Pinole, California will be held on 27 July 2024. Only passport renewal, dual citizenship application, and overseas voting registration will be offered.

Passport and dual citizenship appointment slots will be released on 1 July 2024 at 6:00 p.m. (Pacific Time). Appointment slots are FREE and NON-TRANSFERABLE. The online appointment system will close once all appointment slots have been taken up.

Check out the infographics for the links and QR codes to the online appointment websites.

On the sides of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco’s consular outreach in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Vice Consul Adrian Baccay on 14 July 2024 visited George Fellows Park—the future site of a six-foot bronze statue of Dr. Jose Rizal by Colorado-based Filipino American sculptor Atty. Elaine Antonio Bordeaux.

The Dr. José Rizal Legacy International Foundation is currently spearheading the fundraising effort to install the first-ever monument of the Philippines’ national hero in the Centennial State.

Read more in the link in the comments section.

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines California Chapter, in partnership with the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, will hold its monthly FREE legal aid clinic this 2 August 2024 at the Consulate’s Romulo Hall.

Clients will be given FREE one-on-one consultations on a “first-come, first-served” basis on various legal concerns pertaining to Philippine laws on family, property, land ownership and employment; criminal issues, and U.S. family and immigration laws.

In his remarks, Consul Jed Llona said that the mixed media installations by Wilfred Galila and Ramon Bonifacio “adds to the Filipino cultural markers that are changing the landscape of the SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District.”

The latest "Reclaiming Our Space (ROSe)" project of the South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN) entitled “Kahayágan,” honors Filipino changemakers and leaders who have manifested progress and change through their invaluable work and contributions to the Filipino Community in San Francisco.

Read more in the link in the comments section.

The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco returned to Colorado for its eighth consular outreach of the year in Colorado Springs on 13-14 July 2024.

The Consulate’s ten-member team provided a total of 489 passport, dual citizenship, overseas voter registration, and other consular services to Filipinos in Colorado. Philippine Honorary Consul in Denver, Colorado Donna LaVigne also took part in the consular outreach.

Read more in the link in the comments section.

The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco returned to Utah’s capital for its seventh consular outreach of the year, held at Hilton Garden Inn Salt Lake City Downtown on 11 July 2024.

A ten-person team traveled by land from San Francisco to Salt Lake City—providing a total of 388 passport, dual citizenship, overseas voter registration, and other consular services to Filipinos in Utah.

Upon the Consulate’s invitation, Community Outreach Specialist Kyle Dillingham of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (DOL-WHD) Office in Salt Lake City, opened an information desk at the outreach venue.

Read more in the link in the comments section.

With only three months left before overseas voter (OV) registration at the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco officially closes, the Consulate encourages Filipino citizens to register as overseas voters before the deadline of 30 September 2024.

Filipino citizens, including dual citizens, who will be outside the Philippines, are at least 18 years of age on 12 May 2025, and are not otherwise disqualified by law, may register with the Consulate as overseas voters for the 2025 Philippine National Elections. Read more in the link in the comments section.

For more information on OV registration with the Consulate, please visit: https://pcgsanfrancisco.org/overseas-voting/

The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco took part in the centennial anniversary celebration of the Bay Area town of Colma, California on 13 July 2024.

Colma has played an outsized role in Filipino American politics in the Bay Area. Incumbent Colma Councilmember Joanne Del Rosario and former Councilmember Diana Colvin were the first-ever Filipino Americans in the Bay Area to have served together as Mayor and Vice Mayor, respectively, during the same term. Meanwhile, the Colma Town Government has been hosting every June a Philippine flag-raising ceremony in celebration of Philippine Independence Day.

Read more in the link in the comments section.

REMINDER: Heat wave advisories remain in effect in large swaths of the United States.

Beat the heat! Learn more about heat stroke via this infographic.

INFOGRAPHIC: Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat illness wherein the body overheats, and cannot cool down by sweating due to dehydration.

This heat wave season across America, learn more about heat stroke through this infographic.

? Vote for the Philippines!

We are up for five awards at the 2025 World Travel Awards! Cast your vote at https://www.worldtravelawards.com/vote before 28 July 2024.

❤️

Early-stage venture capital firm Kaya Founders General Partner Ray Alimurung and Investment Director Toby Floro highlighted that Southeast Asia’s digital economy has grown eight times over the past eight years to reach $100 billion in revenue in 2023. The Philippines’ digital economy is expected to grow to $35 billion in 2025.

Read more in the link in the comments section.

To celebrate the 78th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the United States, the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco is hosting the “Courage” exhibit at the Philippine Center’s Kalayaan Hall from 8 to 12 July 2024.

The main showcase of the 16-piece exhibit by Filipino American artist Atty. Elaine Antonio Bordeaux is a bronze sculpture of Filipino World War II hero and “Lioness of Filipino Guerrilla Spies” Magdalena “Maggie” Leones.

Read more in the link in the comments section.

Thomasians USA, considered the only organized group of University of Santo Tomas (UST) alumni in the U.S., was formed in 1987 with Alice Peña Bulos of South San Francisco, regarded as the “Grand Dame of Filipino American Politics,” as its founding president. Director Soleil Tropicales of the Philippine Department of Tourism USA Office in San Francisco is herself a UST alumna.

Read more in the link in the comments section.

The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, together with the Philippine Department of Tourism USA Office in San Francisco, hosted its annual send-off reception and pre-departure briefing for the 2024 Very Important Pinoy (VIP) Tour participants under its consular jurisdiction at the Sentro Rizal of the Philippine Center in San Francisco.

Read more in the link in the comments section.

REMINDER: Join us for the opening night of “Courage,” an exhibit by Colorado-based Filipino sculptor Elaine Antonio Bordeaux, featuring the unveiling of a sculpture of Filipino World War II heroine Magdalena Leones.

The opening reception will take place on 8 July 2024 (Monday), 6:00 p.m., at the Kalayaan Hall, Philippine Center, 447 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94108 (behind Union Square).

INVITATION: In celebration of Philippine-American Friendship Day, the 78th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the United States, the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco is co-hosting “Courage”—a week-long solo exhibition of Colorado-based Filipino sculptor Elaine Antonio Bordeaux.

The art exhibit will showcase Bordeaux’s collection of bronze sculptures, a fusion of Filipino cultural elements, with a deep exploration of courage and heroism. The exhibit’s highlight is the unveiling of a sculpture of Filipino war heroine Magdalena Leones, the only Asian silver star awardee for heroism during World War II.

Join us for an opening reception on 8 July 2024, 6:00 p.m., at the Kalayaan Hall, Philippine Center, 447 Sutter Street, San Francisco, California 94108 (behind Union Square).

Register for the exhibit opening here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/courage-an-exhibit-by-filipino-sculptor-elaine-antonio-bordeaux-tickets-929241756107

The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, represented by Consul Vanessa Bago-Llona and Tourism Director Soleil Tropicales, attended the media launch of Dynamico Media in collaboration with Mayad USA.

The Consulate has a public-private partnership with Dynamico Space in supporting the growth of the Philippine startup ecosystem and fostering linkages with Silicon Valley.

Read more in the link in the comments section.