Attendees pose after the Philippine flag-raising ceremony outside the Colma Community Center.

COLMA – Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer joined the officials and residents of Colma, California on June 5, 2024 for the raising of the Philippine national flag, in what has become a yearly tradition for the Bay Area town in celebration of Philippine Independence Day.

Consul General Neil Ferrer receives from Colma, California Mayor John Irish Goodman and Councilmember Joanne del Rosario a proclamation, declaring “Philippine Independence Day” in Colma.

In his remarks, Consul General Ferrer expressed his gratitude to Colma Mayor John Irish Goodwin and Fil-Am Councilmember and former Mayor Joanne del Rosario for hosting the Philippine flag-raising ceremony, during a special year for Colma as it celebrates its 100th founding anniversary.

Consul General Neil Ferrer delivers his speech during the Philippine flag-raising ceremony at the Colma Community Center.

The Philippine Consul General also recalled the example set by Councilmember del Rosario’s elder brother, the late Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, who “stood firmly on his moral principles in fighting for the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea and in saving the lives of overseas Filipinos in dangerous situations.”

Mayor Goodwin presented Consul General Ferrer with a proclamation signed by all members of the city council, declaring “Philippine Independence Day” in Colma.

The said proclamation recognizes Councilmember del Rosario’s place in history as the first-ever Filipino American mayor of any city in the Bay Area, as well as Colma’s feat for being the first city or town in the United States to have two Filipino American women serving together as mayor and vice mayor.

The proclamation also cites that Lucky Chances Casino, Colma’s biggest business, is Filipino American-owned.

Other dignitaries present include Colma Councilmembers Helen Fisicaro and Carrie Slaughter, and Daly City-Colma Chamber of Commerce CEO Felicia Leong.

The Philippine national flag flies proudly outside the Colma Community Center in Colma, California, following the town’s Philippine flag-raising ceremony.

This year’s Independence Day festivities in the Philippines carries the theme “Kalayaan. Kinabukasan. Kasaysayan, (Freedom. Future. History.).”

Officers from the Colma Police Department raise the Philippine national flag in a ceremony held at the Colma Community Center in Colma, California on June 5, 2024, as Philippine Tourism Director Soleil Tropicales (behind the podium) sings the Philippine national anthem and Colma, California Mayor John Irish Goodman (left) looks on.
San Francisco PCG photos

In his message for overseas Filipinos, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said: “‘Kalayaan. Kinabukasan. Kasaysayan.’ should be a constant reminder of the significance of the continuing task of nation-building which lies before us. For while our [founders] gained our independence through weapons and an extraordinary amount of grit, we are called to employ innovation, ingenuity, and perseverance to build a thriving democracy firmly on the path to a lasting, broadly-shared progress.”