PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL

Statement of the Consul General On the Death of an Asian Woman Pushed to an Incoming Train in Times Square 15 January 2022 The Philippine Consulate General in New York mourns with the rest of the Asian-American Community over the senseless death of another one of our own—a 40-year-old Chinese woman who was killed after she was pushed in front of an incoming train in Times Square this morning. The suspect is a 61-year-old homeless man with mental health issues.As we express our deepest condolences to the family of the victim, we also recall our kababayan, Maria Luningning Ambrocio and our fellow Asian Yao Pan Ma, who both lost their lives as a result of the same senseless violence inflicted on them by homeless individuals with mental health concerns.We are counting on New York City Mayor Eric Adams in making the streets safe again by not only increasing police visibility, especially in subway stations, but also by addressing the housing and behavioral health needs of the hundreds of homeless individuals in the city.We also would like to remind our kababayan to be vigilant of their surroundings and to always stay behind the yellow line on the platform, when taking the…

Message of the Consul General New Year Message 30 December 2021 In our first meeting shortly after assuming as Consul General in New York nine months ago, I shared with colleagues at the Philippine Consulate General my desire to see a consulate that is responsive to the needs of our kababayan in our part of the United States.At the time of my assumption, New York was just starting to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic that had sent it to a virtual standstill months earlier. The Consulate was among those affected as Covid-19 infections among its personnel and the protocols that were instituted to protect people from the virus disrupted its operations.For most of the previous year, the Consulate’s ability to deliver consular services was severely hampered. But with more and more kababayan urgently needing passport and other consular services, we knew we had to step forward and rise to the challenge. And we did.Last night, I shared with the members of the Filipino Community who attended our Pag-Usapan Natin virtual townhall meeting what we at the Consulate have been able to do this year in terms of our efforts to serve our people better.Our kababayan may wish to know that…

Message of the Consul General Christmas Message to the Filipino Community in the US Northeast 24 December 2021 My dear countrymen: In the midst of the crisis that we are confronted with, it is heartening that the spirit of bayanihan is alive and well among members of the Filipino-American Community. In the past months, we all have been witnesses to the concern, cooperation, and unity shown by kababayan in our part of the United States whenever a compatriot is facing difficulties or is asking for help. We all become heroes in our own ways, and act as one people whenever we respond to those in need. This is the true spirit of bayanihan. On behalf of the Philippine Consulate General in New York, I would like to thank the individuals and organizations that have been our partners in the past year in implementing various initiatives aimed at strenghtening bayanihan. We all hope that next year, we will face the challenges of life together and work for the continued advancement of our kababayan here in the United States of America. This is Consul General Elmer G. Cato wishing you all a Meaningful Christmas and a New Year Full of Hope!

Remarks of the Consul General During the Memorial Service for Maria Luningning Ambrocio 11 October 2021 Magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat. Good afternoon. On behalf of the Philippine Consulate General in New York, I would like to thank all of you for joining us here this afternoon in this memorial mass for our departed kababayan, Maria Luningning Ambrocio. I also would like to thank Father Julian Jagudilla and the Franciscan Community for opening the doors of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi to allow us to pay our final respects to someone who had been an active member of the Church and the community. At the height of the coronavirus pandemic last year, Luningning posted a Facebook profile photo of her in scrubs, face mask, and face shield with a caption that read: “I cannot stay at home, I am a nurse!” And like the thousands of Filipino nurses and other healthcare workers across the United States, Luningning was there in the frontline against Covid-19. A woman of courage and compassion—matapang at mapagmalasakit—she did her part in saving lives the way she had been doing in the 25 years she took care of cancer patients in New Jersey.…

Statement of the Consul General During the Asian-American Federation's Press Conference in Response to Recent Anti-Asian Hate Incidents 19 August 2021 The assault on Potri Ranka Manis, a 67-year-old health frontliner while she was distributing face masks on the E train is particularly disturbing for us considering that she was assaulted while doing what other frontliners have been doing since the outbreak of the pandemic—help save lives by preventing the spread of the coronavirus. The incident involving Potri Manis is heartbreaking for the Filipino-American Community especially since it involved an elderly Filipino nurse who has been among the hundreds of Filipino nurses who have been helping save people from Covid-19 in New York City and elsewhere. It is heartbreaking because although Filipinos account for only 4 percent of the total number of nurses in the United States, they account for 25 percent of frontliners who have died as result of Covid-19. But it is not only Potri Manis who has been at the receiving end of anti-Asian hate. One of our diplomats was harassed while on board the B train by what she described to be a mentally unstable individual who was telling her she does not belong here. Just a few days before…

Message of the Consul General During the Stop Crimes Against Asians, Stop Crimes Against All Rally 5 April 2021 *This message was read on behalf of Consul General Elmer G. Cato by Mr. Phil Wong, President of the Chinese-American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York during the Stop Crime Against Asians, Stop Crime Against All Rally at the Criminal Court, 100 Centre Street, New York on 5 April 2021. "EVERYONE BELONGS HERE" I would like to thank the Chinese-American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York (CACAGNY) for organizing this rally to demand justice for Vilma Kari, the 65-year old Filipino mother who was violently assaulted while she was walking to church in Manhattan exactly a week ago today. All of us saw how Brandon Elliot, a 38-year-old convict who is out on parole for killing his own mother, kicked the helpless Vilma without provocation and stomped on her face while yelling at her “You don’t belong here!” I can see in Vilma the face of my own mother and other elderly Asian women living in New York, who, due to the recent spate of violence against Asians, would not even want to leave the safety of their homes anymore for fear that…

Message of the Consul General Lenten Message 1 April 2021 Mga Minamahal Naming Kababayan, It is my honor to inform the members of the Filipino Community that I have assumed as Consul General of the Republic of the Philippines in New York. Like those who have served here before me, I will do everything I can to ensure that your Consulate General will remain responsive to your needs. Aside from improving the delivery of consular services within the limitations brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, I will be working with the men and women of your Consulate General and other partners inside and outside of our community in ensuring the well-being of our kababayan in New York and in the other areas under our jurisdiction. As we all know, the Filipino Community has been hit hard by the coronavirus but even as we struggle to cope with the effects of the pandemic, we suddenly find ourselves confronted with another challenge—hate crimes and other types of race-based violence.It is really unfortunate that kababayan in New York and other parts of the United States have been caught in this maelstrom along with other Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. In New York alone, the number of hate…