11 March 2014 – Visitors to the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco on Friday, March 7, were greeted by personnel wearing purple flowers, in commemoration of International Women’s Day, which was celebrated on March 8.
“International Women’s Day was initially established to remind us to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of women to global history and development, and to continue the advocacy for just and equal treatment of women in the home, at work, and all other aspects of our lives,” Consul Jaime Ascalon, the Acting Head of the Consulate General, declared.
“The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco strongly supports the objectives of initiatives such as International Women’s Day, and today is our way of making a visible show of support for women’s issues,” he continued.
“It cannot be repeated often enough: women’s rights are human rights, and because of this we deeply value the work being done by organizations such as the Alliance for Community Empowerment (ALLICE) and the Filipina Women’s Network (FWN) to ensure that our community will be one that both empowers and protects the rights of women.”
In support of International Women’s History Month, which is celebrated in March, this month’s Talakayan sa Konsulado (Open Forum at the Consulate) will tackle domestic violence, with resource speakers drawn from local community organizations and law enforcement agencies.
Talakayan will start at 10 a.m. on March 17, and will be held at the Consulate’s waiting area on the 6th floor of the Philippine Center, 447 Sutter Street, San Francisco. The forum will also give some insights into Philippine civil registry, and the implications of reporting one’s marriage to the Philippine government.
