11 September 2017 – Consul General Julius D. Torres of the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary led a Consulate team on an outreach mission to Lloydminster, Alberta from 9 to 10 September 2017, providing passport and consular services to more than 300 Filipinos in the city and surrounding areas.

The outreach mission, held at the Days Hotel Lloydminster, was organized in cooperation with the Duterte Volunteers of Alberta headed by Mr. Benjamin Lindo and the Filipino community in Lloydminster.

During the two-day outreach, the Consulate was able to process 289 passport renewal applications, 25 notarial services, three civil registrations, and 11 dual citizenship applications.  An additional three persons who had earlier submitted their dual citizenship applications took the Oath of Allegiance during the outreach mission.

Volunteers from the Duterte Volunteers and the local Filipino community assisted the Consulate team in the outreach mission by finding the appropriate venue for the outreach and publicizing the outreach mission through their community organizations and social circles.  They also acted as ushers during the outreach mission and ensured the orderly flow of people at the venue.

It was the Consulate’s first outreach mission to Lloydminster, which is about 516 km. northeast of Calgary and straddles the border between Alberta and Saskatchewan.  Most Filipino nationals in the area are permanent residents who work either as skilled laborers in farms and small businesses or in the services sector (hotels and restaurants).  The outreach was considered newsworthy enough for a local television news team to interview Consul General Torres, who thanked the Filipino community in Lloydminster for their warm welcome and spoke about the Consulate’s services and projects such as the forthcoming Winter Escapade 5 tour.

Consul General Torres also attended a Philippine Fiesta celebration fundraising event sponsored by the community and attended by community leaders and local government officials, including the Mayor of Lloydminster, Hon. Gerald Aalbers.  In his remarks, the Consul General thanked Mayor Aalbers and the city of Lloydminster for their warm welcome of Filipinos in the city, and encouraged the attendees to take more active roles in their local communities.

He also invited the members of the community to participate in the forthcoming Winter Escapade tour in February 2018, and spread the news to their Canadian friends.