Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo yesterday welcomed the arrival of more than 500 Filipino-Americans and Filipino-Canadians, together with the heads of the Philippine Foreign Service Posts in the United States and Canada, who are participating in the Second Ambassadors’/Consuls’ General Goodwill Tour in the Philippines scheduled from July 15 to 18.
"Once again, I welcome our Filipino-American friends, and for the first time, our Filipino-Canadian friends to enjoy the country’s top attractions, explore business opportunities and rediscover their roots," Romulo said.
The Consuls General and the Honorary Consuls General in the United States and Canada and the 502 tour participants began arriving the other day from Agana, Guam; Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, Saipan, San Francisco and Washington, DC., Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa led by Ambassador Alberto F. del Rosario and Ambassador Jose S. Brillantes.
The group of US-based consular officials is composed of Consul General Teresita Mendiola of the Agana Philippine Consulate General (PCG), Consul General Blesila C. Cabrera of the Chicago PCG, Consul General Ariel Y. Abadilla of the Honolulu PCG, Consul General Wilfredo C. Gaa of the Los Angeles PCG, Consul General Cecilia B. Rebong of the New York PCG, Consul General Wilfredo DL. Maximo of Saipan PCG, Consul General Maria Rowena Mendoza Sanchez of the San Francisco PCG, Consul General Domingo P. Nolasco of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., Honorary Consul General Raoul Donato of the Atlanta Philippine Honorary Consulate General (PHCG), Honorary Consul General Cielo Martinez of the Louisiana PHCG, Honorary Consul General Angelo Macatangay of Miami PCHG, Honorary Consul General Felixberto Guerrero of Calgary, Alberta PCHG, and Honorary Consul General Esmeralda Agbulos of Edmonton, Alberta PCHG.
The Annual Goodwill Tour will be a special experience for the participants as it includes a meeting with President Arroyo and a tour of Malacañang. Aside from the Malacañang event, the activities for the delegates include a wreath-laying ceremony at the Rizal Monument and a Department of Tourism (DOT)-sponsored fashion show featuring noted designer Dita Sandico.
The tour offers a wide variety of tours to include packages for the Laguna Lake Loop, Cebu/Bohol, Boracay, Davao, Palawan, Laoag/Vigan/Baguio, Cagayan de Oro/Camiguin, Zamboanga and Subic Bay.
Spearheaded by the Philippine Embassies in Washington, D.C. and Ottawa and the office of American Affairs, in cooperation with the DOT, the Filipino communities around North America, and the travel industry, the Second Ambassadors’/Consuls’ General Goodwill Tour is being organized within the context of the Centennial of Filipino migration to the United States.
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