Philippine Consulate General, Houston

The Philippine Consulate General in Houston is a diplomatic mission of the Republic of the Philippines in the United States, representing the country's interests in Texas. It is located at 9990 Richmond Avenue in the Westchase neighborhood of west Houston.

Philippine Consulate General, Houston
Konsulado Panlahat ng Pilipinas sa Houston
LocationHouston, Texas
Address9990 Richmond Avenue, Suite 100N
Coordinates29°43′48.0″N 95°32′55.1″W
AmbassadorJerril G. Santos
Websitehttp://houstonpcg.dfa.gov.ph/

History

The current Philippine Consulate General in Houston was opened on September 24, 2018, 25 years after the first consulate was closed in September 1993,[1] ostensibly due to budget issues,[2] as well as the low number of Filipinos in the area at the time.[3] Closing the first consulate was ordered during the administration of President Corazon Aquino, with holdover consuls heading the post until it was finally closed by her successor, Fidel V. Ramos.[4]

During the existence of the first consulate, Consul General Rodolfo Severino Jr. and other officers called on President Ferdinand Marcos to resign in the run-up to the People Power Revolution that would lead to his ouster.[5] After that consulate was closed, relations were conducted through an honorary consulate, led most recently by Ethel R. Mercado.[4] However, the city's rapidly-growing Filipino community continued to pressure for its reopening,[3] and in January 2018, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano announced that the Consulate would reopen, alongside the future opening of three other missions.[6] Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez, writing in The Philippine Star, particularly credited Senator Loren Legarda with pushing to allocate more funds for the opening of new Philippine diplomatic missions, including in Houston.[7]

The Consulate reopened out of a temporary space until finally moving to its permanent location, one floor below in the same building,[1] on March 21, 2019.[8]

Staff and activities

The Philippine Consulate General in Houston is headed by Consul General Jerril G. Santos. Prior to becoming Consul General, he served as Assistant Secretary and Chief of Protocol at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, and before that was posted at the Philippine Embassy in Hanoi as the Ambassador to Vietnam.[9] In addition to Santos, there are eleven other staffers deployed to the Consulate.[10]

Currently, the Consulate's jurisdiction covers Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Oklahoma in addition to Texas,[1] and also exercises jurisdiction over the honorary consulates in Dallas and New Orleans, with former honorary consul Ethel R. Mercado being appointed to head the Dallas consulate.[11] Prior to its reopening the various states were under the jurisdiction of other missions: Texas and New Mexico were under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, which in partnership with local organizations conducted monthly outreach visits in Houston,[4] while Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma were under the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago. Since its reopening, the Consulate has conducted outreach missions in major cities within its jurisdiction, including in Little Rock,[12] Albuquerque,[13] Jackson,[14] and Oklahoma City,[15] as well as within Texas.[16]

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See also

References
  1. "PH Consulate reopens in Houston after 25 years". Philippine Daily Inquirer. September 28, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  2. Aragon, Rose-Ann (March 27, 2019). "The Philippine Consulate General in Houston reopens for first time in 25 years". KPRC-TV. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  3. "Reopen Houston consulate". The Philippine Star. December 1, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  4. Mercado, Gus (February 16, 2018). "The Houston Consulate will re-open its doors this year!" (PDF) (Press release). Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce of Texas. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  5. "Filipinos In The US Rejoice At News". Carlsbad Current-Argus. February 23, 1986. Retrieved June 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "PH Consulate General in Houston reopens after 25 years". Philippine News Agency. September 21, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  7. Romualdez, Jose Manuel (March 31, 2019). "Reopening our Houston consulate". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  8. "Reopened PH Consulate in Houston inaugurates new office". Philippine Daily Inquirer. April 3, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  9. Hadjiyska, Katia (February 15, 2019). "Consul General of The Philippines, The Honorable Jerril G. Santos". International Focus Magazine. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  10. "Convenient Cultural Resources for Filipino Community". Westchase Management District. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  11. Romualdez, Jose Manuel (April 21, 2019). "Phl opens new Houston Consulate". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  12. "PH Consulate General in Houston Extends Consular Outreach Mission to Arkansas" (Press release). Department of Foreign Affairs. October 14, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  13. "PH Consulate General in Houston Conducts Consular Outreach Mission in New Mexico" (Press release). Department of Foreign Affairs. December 20, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  14. "PH Consulate General in Houston Provides Consular Services in Mississippi" (Press release). Department of Foreign Affairs. September 2, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  15. "PH Consulate General in Houston Conducts First-ever Consular Outreach Mission in Oklahoma" (Press release). Department of Foreign Affairs. May 10, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  16. "PH Consulate General in Houston Conducts Consular Outreach Mission in McAllen" (Press release). Department of Foreign Affairs. August 15, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
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