San Francisco lights landmarks in colors of PH flag

San Francisco City Hall / CONTRIBUTED

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco City Hall and San Francisco International Airport were lit up in the colors of the national flag on June 12  in celebration of Philippine Independence Day and Filipino American Heritage and Friendship Day in the city.

On the East Coast, 14 iconic landmarks – including the One World Center in New York City, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere – were also illuminated in the colors of the Philippine flag.

San Francisco International Airport / CONTRIBUTED

The Philippine flag was also hoisted at San Francisco City Hall in honor of the 126th anniversary of Philippine Independence. The flag-raising ceremony was led by San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who signed a proclamation declaring June 12 as Filipino American Heritage and Friendship Day. The proclamation was presented to Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer.

“San Francisco has a longstanding history of openness and respect for people of all backgrounds, and today, on the occasion of the Philippine Independence Day we particularly recognize the important contributions made to our city by Filipino Americans,” Mayor Breed said in her proclamation.

Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer and San Francisco Deputy Protocol Chief Meron Foster lead the hoisting of the Philippine national flag at the Mayor’s balcony at San Francisco City Hall. Photo from San Francisco Mayor’s Protocol Office (Al Perez photo)

In response, Consul General Ferrer thanked the city and county of San Francisco for their continued recognition of the contributions of the Fil-Am community.

“From the Filipino American History Month celebration at the City Hall every October, to community celebrations such as the yearly Pistahan Parade & Festival every August, and the Filipino Heritage Nights of the Golden State Warriors & the San Francisco Giants, there is a recognition of the significant presence and contributions of Filipinos in your city,” Ferrer said.

Around 50 guests representing Fil-Am organizations joined the celebration at the Mayor’s office and enjoyed Filipino dishes prepared by Patio Filipino.

Dignitaries at the event included Fil-Am San Francisco Entertainment Commissioners Al Perez and Anthony Schlander, Fil-Am San Francisco Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Franklin Ricarte, San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee Chair Carmen Colet, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Francisco Tatum King and San Francisco Board of Supervisors candidate Marjan Philhour.

The Philippine flag was also hoisted at San Jose City Hall, as the Bay Area’s largest city and the “Capital of Silicon Valley” celebrated Philippine Independence Day.

Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer delivers his remarks during the flag-raising ceremony in celebration of Philippine Independence Day at San Jose City Hall. CONTRIBUTED

Consul General Ferrer joined San Jose City officials, the Bayanihan Fil-Am Foundation, the Filipino American City Employees of San Jose and the Fil-Am community at the flag-raising ceremony on June 12.

“The enduring friendship between the Philippines and America has been strengthened by our people-to-people relations, anchored on our four-million-strong Filipino Community in the United States, of whom 65,000 live in your multicultural and multifaceted city,” Ferrer said in his remarks.