Reopened PH Consulate in Houston inaugurates new office

Staff toasts new office of the Philippine Consulate in Houston. CONTRIBUTED

HOUSTON, Texas –The reopened Philippine Consulate General in Houston inaugurated its new office at 9990 Richmond Avenue, Suite 100N on March 22, with Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez and Consul General to Houston Jerril G. Santos leading the inauguration ceremony.

Twenty-five years after it closed in September 1993, the Consulate General reopened its doors on 24 September 2018 in a temporary workplace while the new office was being built.

More than a hundred guests also graced the inauguration, which included members of Houston consular corps and representatives of the governments of Houston and Texas state, business and civil society, and Filipino community leaders. Philippine Consuls General to Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco traveled to Houston to attend the inaugural ceremony.

The consulate’s new office has plenty of room. CONTRIBUTED

U.S. Department of State Associate Regional Director Robert Hopkins and Dean of Consular Corps of Houston Juan Sosa of Panama welcomed the opening.

A congratulatory message from Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Finance chairperson Senator Loren Legarda was read, as were certificates recognizing the inaugural ceremony issued by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez (center), Consul General Jerril G. Santos (third from right), Consul Gilbert Segarra (second from left), and Vice Consul Marco Angelo Felix Lopez (second from right) with the staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Houston. CONTRIBUTED

Also exhibited during the occasion are paintings by some Filipino-American artists based in Houston and dresses using Philippine fabrics such as tinalak,Mindanao silk and piña, with two gowns created by known Filipino designer Mimi Pimentel.

A Filipino American string trio with viola and violin rendered a mix of Filipino and international classics.