Calgary, 10 January 2023 – Consul General Zaldy Patron joined some leaders of the Filipino community in Alberta in a dialogue with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith during the New Year’s Gala Night hosted by the Council & Assembly of Filipino Foundations and Associations (CAFFA) on 7 January 2023 at the Marlborough Park Community Association in Calgary.

Premier Smith and Consul General Patron were among the special guests at the CAFFA’s annual event.

Premier Smith requested the meeting with some community leaders to hear the concerns of the Filipino community. She answered their queries and shared with them the programs of the provincial government that are relevant to the Filipinos in Alberta.

For his part, Consul General Patron sought Premier Smith’s support for the immediate implementation of the provisions of the Philippines-Alberta MOU on the Recruitment of Filipino Nurses that was signed on 6 October 2022.

Consul General Patron also briefed Premier Smith about the various projects of the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary to foster cooperation and closer ties between the Philippines and Alberta, and to promote the welfare and interests of the Filipino community in Alberta.

Some of the projects Consul General Patron mentioned included the successful negotiation of the MOU; the construction of the first Dr. José Rizal Monument in Nose Creek Regional Park in Airdrie, Alberta; the promotion of education cooperation that led to the signing of the Graduate Scholarship Program between the Philippine Department of Science and Technology and the University of Alberta; and the training of teachers of the Filipino Language and Culture subjects that are taught in certain high schools in Alberta.