GOVPH

PH CONSULATE, CGTS DISCUSS EVENTUAL RESUMPTION OF GROUP TOURS FROM CHONGQING

11 March 2022, Chongqing – Philippine Consul General Flerida Ann Camille P. Mayo met with Mr. Xia Peng and Ms. Zhong Jing, General Manager and Personnel Administration Manager, respectively, of the Chongqing Global Express International Travel Service Co., Ltd. (CGTS) today to discuss the prospects of resuming Philippine charter flights once the existing COVID-19 travel restrictions between the Philippines and China have been relaxed.

Consul General Mayo and Mr. Xia exchanged ideas on the growing the volume of visitor exchanges, including through the diversification of CGTS products.   CGTS currently operates repatriation flights from the Philippines to China and hopes to re-launch charter flights for Chinese visitors to the Philippines as soon as border restrictions ease on both ends. END

PHILIPPINES’ PIONEERING ROLE REMEMBERED IN INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATIONS IN CHONGQING

10 March 2022 – In observance of International Women’s Day, the Philippine Consulate General in Chongqing headlined celebratory events dedicated to the cause of gender and development.

On March 8, Consul General Flerida Ann Camille P. Mayo joined, as speaker and panelist, the 2022 International Women’s Day forum which SheLeads and Crowne Plaza co-hosted.    In keeping with the forum’s #breakthebias theme, Consul General Mayo cited illustrations of gender stereotypes that are perpetuated in grade school textbooks.   She supported the institutionalization of gender audits in order to surface unconscious biases, including those that have been baked into school books and activities that shape young minds.

At the 2022 International Women’s Event hosted by the Chongqing Foreign Affairs Office and co-organized by the Consulates General of the Philippines and Japan, Consul General Mayo joined Chongqing’s female leaders in a roundtable discussion on Women’s Career Development and Protection Mechanisms for Women’s Rights and Interests.  There, she pointed to the raft of laws and policies that have helped Philippine efforts to close the gender gap across the key dimensions of Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment.  “Through whole-of-government efforts, the Philippines ranked 17^th in the World Economic Forum’s 2021 Gender Gap Report.  While the Philippines has closed 78.4% of its overall gender gap, broader efforts are required to achieve gender parity in terms of labor force participation, income and wage, and political empowerment,” she remarked.

On both occasions, Consul General Mayo touted the Philippines’ lead role in shaping the global agenda on gender equality.  “For over 55 years, the Philippines has been a stalwart champion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls,” she said.  Consul General Mayo recalled in this regard the pioneering efforts of Helena Benitez, Leticia Ramos-Shahani, Patricia Licuanan and Rosario Manalo who were among the Filipino women who have strenuously advanced women’s advocacies in the international community and at home. 

The twin events afforded participants the opportunity to share personal and national experiences before expatriate and Chinese audiences.  “I wish that our gathering today will presage even more meaningful interaction that will help fulfill our common aspirations for women’s empowerment through enlightened policies and progressive actions, including science and innovation-based initiatives, that actually work for women and girls,” the Consul General  suggested. END

CHONGQING PCG RESUMES CONSULAR SERVICES, STRENGTHENS FELLOWSHIP WITH FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN KUNMING, YUNNAN PROVINCE

26 February 2022, Kunming – The Philippine Consulate General in Chongqing resumed today its regular consular mission in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province – the first such outreach since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic two years ago.  During this mission, the Consulate processed applications for passport renewal, notarization of documents, report of birth, and NBI fingerprint certification, as well as provided consular consultations.

On the same day, the Consulate General took the occasion to hold its first quarter hybrid Fellowship with Filipino communities in Kunming and Chongqing via Zoom and on site.  The quarterly Fellowship is the Consulate General’s platform for keeping the Filipino communities in its jurisdiction abreast with its economic, cultural and public diplomacy activities, as well as disseminating important information pertaining to current COVID-19 protocols in the Philippines, Overseas Voting and consular services in general.  As well, the quarterly fellowship provides the opportunity for the Consulate to obtain feedback and suggestions on consular services and community programs. 

A reception hosted by Consul General Flerida Ann Camille P. Mayo capped the Consulate’s outreach in Kunming.  In her remarks, Consul General Flerida Ann Camille P. Mayo commended the Filipinos for exemplifying the values of bayanihan, malasakit and pakikipagkapwa, especially at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when the members of the Filipino community cared for one another. Filipino guests present expressed their appreciation to the Consulate for the resumption of consular missions in Kunming following postponements due to China’s inter-provincial travel restrictions.  True to form, the Kunming Filipino Community made the four-hour reception most enjoyable with parlor games and musical performances. END