Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
President Marcos has hailed Filipinos in the United States for their contributions to the Philippines and their host country in various fields.
In his speech during his meeting with the Filipino community in San Francisco, California, Marcos recognized the overseas Filipino workers, Filipino-American athletes, and those who won statewide elective positions in the US.
“We are all grateful for your selfless service to humanity, and we look up to you as role models for future generations of Filipinos and Filipino Americans,” he said on Wednesday, Nov. 15 (Manila time).
“We recognize the hard work of Overseas Filipinos in the US. In 2022, the workers, health workers, injected [USD 14.89 billion] to the Philippine economy in cash remittances—making the United States the Philippines’ biggest single source of remittances,” he added.
He highlighted the role of Filipino healthcare workers in the US, especially when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world.
“[D}uring Covid-19, Americans experienced first-hand the Filipino way of caring and acting on the needs of others,” he said, stressing that one in every five nurses in the West Coast were trained in the Philippines.
“Our Filipino nurses, our doctors, our first responders, essential workers have all demonstrated the timeless Filipino virtues of malasakit, pakikipagkapwa, at ang bayanihan,” he added.
The President also took pride in the accomplishments of Filipino Americans in statewide elective positions.
“Filipino Americans have emerged successful in elections across many Bay Area cities including South San Francisco, the host city for our gathering this evening, led by the Fil-Am Mayor Flor Nicolas who is with us tonight,” he said.
“We also have elected officials – Filipino American elected officials in Alaska, in Washington State. Of course, we take pride in the accomplishments of Filipino Americans in statewide elective positions, including Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes and the Bay Area’s very own California Attorney General Rob Bonta,” he added.
The Chief Executive also mentioned Bay Area’s Sarina Bolden, who made history at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup as the Philippines’ first-ever goal scorer at a Soccer World Cup.
He also commended the rising number of Filipino Americans in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley who are now active partners in Philippine development and nation-building.
Marcos then recalled those who took part in the 2023 Very Important Pinoy, or VIP, Tour in Malacañan last July, and expressed pride on their achievements, and for the positive image of the Philippines and of the Filipino people that they created in the US.
“Mula noon hanggang ngayon, pinatutunayan ninyo na kayo ang mga bagong bayani ng ating salinlahi (Then and now, you have been proving that you are the new heroes of our generation)” he told the Filipino community.
There are now more than four million Filipinos and Filipino Americans in the US, of which 1.3 million reside in the 10 states under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco.
Out of this figure, around 700,000 Filipinos are living and working in the Bay Area. — Betheena Unite
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Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
