Calgary, 8 February 2023 – The Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Calgary held a successful Kapihan sa Konsulado on 4 February 2023 at the Dr. José Rizal Hall of PCG Calgary.

The Kapihan sa Konsulado, the first one the PCG hosted since 2019 due to the long period of the COVID-19 pandemic, brought together some leaders of the Filipino community and five non-profit organizations in Calgary.

In his remarks, Consul General Zaldy Patron briefed the event’s 43 participants about the notable achievements of the PCG in 2022 as he sought their continued support for the PCG’s programs in 2023.

Consul General Patron cited some major projects the PCG completed last year, which included the following:

● signing of the Philippines–Alberta Memorandum of Understanding on the Recruitment of Filipino Nurses on 6 October 2022;

● the National Historical Commission of the Philippines’ designation of the Dr. Jose Rizal Monument in Nose Creek Regional Park in Airdrie, Alberta, as a Philippine Historical Site on 19 June 2022;

● 1st Filipino Restaurant Month in Canada in April 2022, spearheaded by the PCG;

● 1st Philippine Trade Expo in the three cities of Edmonton, Calgary, and Regina from July to August 2022;

● 1st Conference on Filipino Language and Culture in October 2022;

● 1st one-month painting exhibit from September to October 2022 featuring two Regina-based Filipino artists; and

● Webinar on Franchising Philippine Brands on 18 November 2022.

Likewise, he mentioned the successful conduct of the overseas voting on 9 May 2022 and the resumption of the overseas voting registration on 9 December 2022.

Consul General Patron shared that the PCG continued to connect the Philippine government agencies and universities with the top universities in Alberta and Saskatchewan under the PCG’s education cooperation program.

He stated that under the Philippine Department of Science and Technology-University of Alberta Graduate Scholarship Program, which the PCG helped facilitate in 2019, seven DOST scholars are now studying in the University of Alberta.

The second part of the Kapihan sa Konsulado featured the presentations of five non-profit organizations offering various programs, social services, and resources for the members of the Filipino community.

Those who gave presentations were Ms. Anila Umar Lee Yuen, President and CEO of Centre for Newcomers; Mr. Frank Cattoni, CEO of the Calgary Bridge for Youth Foundation; Ms. Fatima Narvaez, Manager of the Family Services Department of the Calgary International Women’s Association; Ms. Jessica Juen, Program Manager of the Community Support Services, Calgary Catholic Immigration Services; and Mr. Aurelio Naraval, Programs and Policy Manager of Action Dignity.

“This year’s Kapihan sa Konsulado took a new format as we invited five non-profit organizations to present their programs that will be beneficial to the Filipino community and I am grateful to them for accepting our invitation,” Consul General Patron said.