Consul General Neil Ferrer and Madame Miriam Ferrer (center) join the lolas and lolos in the annual Christmas party for Filipino seniors at the Kalayaan Hall, Philippine Center in San Francisco on 13 December 2023. (San Francisco PCG photo)
SAN FRANCISCO – Indulging in the familiar joys of Filipino folk songs, dances, games and the never-to-be-missed lechon, a holiday tradition with the lolas and lolos of the Bay Area returned to the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco.
Co-organized with the Pilipino Senior Resource Center (PSRC), the Consulate hosted more than 80 Filipino and Filipino American seniors for their annual Christmas party at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center on 13 December 2023.
Philippine Consul General Neil Ferrer and Madame Miriam Ferrer led the Consulate in welcoming the Filipino elders to the Consulate, their “second home in the Bay Area.”
In his remarks, Consul General Ferrer noted that the seniors Christmas party is the only Filipino Community event that the Consulate hosts during the holiday season, ”which shows the importance that the Consulate gives to our lolas and lolos.”
Consul General Ferrer also paid tribute to the senior members of the Filipino American Community. “We thank you for keeping these traditions alive and for passing them down to succeeding generations. Through your efforts and the celebrations we hold, you help preserve our cultural heritage and strengthen our identity as Filipinos,” he said.
Consul General Ferrer also shared the display at the Philippine Center of an eight-foot-tall, eight-foot-wide giant parol or Christmas lantern from Pampanga to the delight of the seniors.
The Philippine Consul General thanked the PSRC for their “tireless efforts to deliver comprehensive and compassionate family-based services to our lolas and lolos.”
In response, PSRC Executive Director Gabby Moraleda thanked the Consulate and the event’s donors and supporters “for making our lolos and lolas feel that they are remembered and loved during this time of the year.”
The seniors Christmas party marks the seventh time the Consulate hosted a holiday celebration with lolas and lolos at the Philippine Center. The event also welcomed Filipino seniors from Canon Kip Senior Center and Curry Senior Center.
Consul General Neil Ferrer gives his remarks during the annual Christmas party for Filipino seniors at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center in San Francisco on 13 December 2023. (San Francisco PCG photo)
Pilipino Senior Resource Center Executive Director Gabby Moraleda delivers his remarks at the annual Christmas party for Filipino seniors at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center in San Francisco on 13 December 2023. (San Francisco PCG photo)
Filipino seniors from San Francisco and the Bay Area enjoy the familiar joys of Filipino songs, dances and games during the annual Christmas party hosted by the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco on 13 December 2023. (San Francisco PCG photos)
