31 July 2019, Calgary – On his first month in office, Consul General Zaldy Patron has reached out to the Filipino communities in Alberta and Saskatchewan by hosting information sessions with community leaders in the two provinces that are under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Calgary.

 

Consul General Patron, who assumed his new position on 1 July 2019, met with the Filipino community leaders of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on 12 July at the Cosmo Civic Centre.  On 20 July, he hosted “Kapihan sa Konsulado” with the community leaders of Calgary, Alberta at the PCG office. A week later, he met the community leaders in Edmonton, Alberta during the “Kapihan with the Consul General” he hosted at Panciteria de Manila.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aside from introducing himself to the community leaders, Consul General Patron gave them a presentation on the latest updates about the PCG’s consular services pertaining to the issuance of passport, processing of civil registration, notarization of documents, and the retention and reacquisition of Philippine citizenship under RA 9225.  He also briefed them about the services offered by the Office of the Social Security System (SSS) in Calgary.

 

 

 

Likewise, Consul General Patron shared with the community leaders the PCG’s plans and programs for cultural and economic cooperation. He invited them to join and help promote the Winter Escapade 7 travel tour to the Philippines to be held on 15-23 January 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

He also thanked the community leaders for their various celebrations of the PH Independence and PH Heritage Month in June 2019.

 

“The PCG hopes to partner and collaborate with the different Filipino community organizations for those activities that will help raise their profile in Alberta and Saskatchewan and contribute to their empowerment,”  Consul General Patron said in conducting the meetings.

 

Recognizing their love for their native country, Consul General Patron also urged the community leaders to continue to support the Philippines’ nation-building efforts.

 

Based on the 2016 Canada Census, there are about 175,000 Filipinos in Alberta -  75,000 of them are in Calgary and 64,000 reside in Edmonton.  An estimated 34,000 Filipinos live in Saskatchewan with 12,000 of them staying in Saskatoon.