17 September 2019, Calgary – Consul
General Zaldy Patron, who assumed his position on 1 July 2019, paid courtesy
calls on top government officials of the two provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in
Canada, which are under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General (PCG)
in Calgary.
Consul General
Patron called on Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe office on 4 September in his
office in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The
two officials discussed cooperation on labor, immigration, agriculture,
education, and trade and investment. They also talked about the Philippine
Heritage Month being celebrated every June by an estimated 34,000 Filipinos
across Saskatchewan.
In Saskatoon, Consul
General Patron also had separate meetings with Mr. David Buckingham, Member of
Legislative Assembly and Legislative Secretary to the Minister of Immigration;
Mr. Alistair MacFadden, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Immigration and Career Training;
Mr. Chris Dekker, President & CEO, Saskatchewan Trade and Export
Partnership; and Mr. James Kettel, Executive Director, Trade and Value-Added,
Ministry of Agriculture.
On 9 September
2019, Consul General Patron called on Alberta Premier Jason Kenney in Calgary
to discuss cooperation in energy, education, sports, trade and investment,
labor and immigration.
Consul General
Patron briefed Premier Kenny about the Collaborative Agreement on Graduate
Scholarship Program Between the Department of Science and Technology – Science
and Education Institute (DOST-SEI) and the University of Alberta that was
signed on 22 March 2019 through the assistance of the PCG.
The Consul
General informed the Premier about the increasing Philippine investments in
Alberta. He highlighted the decision of Filipino multinational company Jollibee
Foods Corporation to open up two Jollibee stores in Edmonton and Calgary that
will create employment for the province.
Consul General
Patron told the Premier that the Philippine Bobsled Team had chosen Calgary to be its training base to
prepare for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The team started training in Calgary in January
2019 and placed third at the 3rd Alberta Provincial Cup in March
2019.
The two
officials also talked about the approximately 175,000-strong Filipino diaspora
in Alberta, the province hosting the second biggest population of Filipinos in
Canada.
