14 August 2017 – Consul General Julius D. Torres of the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary led a Consulate team on an outreach mission to Lac La Biche, Alberta from 12 to 13 August 2017, providing passport and consular services to nearly 80 Filipinos in the town and surrounding areas.

 

The outreach mission, held at the Canalta Hotel Lac La Biche, was organized in cooperation with the Duterte Volunteers of Alberta headed by Mr. Benjamin Lindo, and the Filipino community of Lac La Biche led by Mr. Adrian Manalese.

 

During the two-day outreach, the Consulate was able to process 73 passport renewals and four notarial services.  Seven Filipinos also registered as Overseas Voters during the outreach mission.

 

Volunteers from the Duterte Volunteers and from the Filipino community of Lac La Biche 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.

 

Consul General Torres and the Consulate team also attended a get-together organized by the community at the Kinsman Centre.  In his remarks, Consul General Torres thanked the community for their warm welcome and their assistance during the outreach, commending how close-knit the Lac La Biche community was.

 

He encouraged the attendees to take more active roles in their local community as well as in Philippine political affairs by registering and voting, both in Philippine and Canadian elections.  He noted that there are very few Canadian political leaders of Filipino heritage despite the fact that Filipinos are the fastest growing visible minority in the country.  Consul General Torres expressed his hope that greater local community involvement by Filipinos would pave the way for more political leaders of Filipino heritage in the future.

 

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.