11 March 2005 – The Philippine Consulate General in New York reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs the successful completion of an information campaign on consular services as well as Philippine trade and tourism for the members of the Filipino community in Lexington, Massachusetts on 26 February 2005.   The Consulate Team met the Filipino community at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Florando, art patron and noted Filipino community leader.

New York Consul General Cecilia Rebong headed the Team with Consul Edgar Badajos, Special Trade Representative Eugene Reyes and Tourism Representative Emma Ruth Yulo-Kiritaka, as members.

Consul General Rebong said that team’s visit to Lexington was the first in a series of year-round meetings scheduled by the Consulate with Filipino communities in the 10 states under its jurisdiction. These ten states are New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Main, Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Maine.

Through these meetings, Consul General Rebong said “the Philippine Government aims to promote Philippine trade and tourism among Filipino expatriates and members of American mainstream society.”   She added that everyone in the community can help in the government’s promotion efforts by talking positively of the Philippines among their friends and business associates at every opportunity, and referring to the Consulate or Special Trade Representative’s Office any person or business that they know is interested in outsourcing to the Philippines.

The Special Trade Representative discussed the state of the Philippine information technology sector within the context of the global outsourcing industry.    Mr. Reyes said the Philippines’ IT capability is globally competitive, which explains the presence of numerous call centers and other back-office operations by major foreign companies in the country. Some of the US firms with IT-enabled activities currently operating in the Philippines include America Online (AOL), Accenture, Barnes and Noble, Caltex, Citibank, and Sykes. He said American firms and other foreign companies are attracted to the Philippines because of its highly skilled work force and strong government support to the IT industry. He added that the country’s comparative advantages are available not only to foreign companies but also Filipino expatriates interested in investing or doing business in the country.

The Tourism Representative gave a highly entertaining video presentation on the Philippines’ top tourist destinations.   Ms. Yulo-Kiritaka encouraged the audience to shout out the names of tourist sites they knew or were familiar with.   Most importantly, she introduced to the crowd the 1st Ambassador’s and Consuls General’s tour of the Philippines from July 13 to 19, 2005. She explained that the tour is a joint project of all the Philippine diplomatic posts in the United States, undertaken in tandem with the Department of Tourism.   Ms Yulo-Kiritaka said “the tour is an excellent opportunity not only to take a vacations with family and friends, but also visit the country’s top tourist destinations together with the Philippine Ambassador and Philippine Consuls General to the US, explore local business opportunities, and also meet with the country’s top leaders since the tour includes a visit to Malacanang and meeting with Philippine National leaders.”   The audience eagerly snapped up flyers about the tour after Ms. Yulo-Kirataka’s presentation.

Consul Edgar Badajos briefed the crowed on the Dual Citizenship Law and other consular services rendered by the Consulate General in New York.  A question and answer portion followed the presentation during which Consul General Rebong and the members of her team further explained their respective projects and services. END
 

/jay