By: Ryan Tejero, Editor-In-Chief
The Philippine Consul General in Houston gave a presentation to community leaders at the Philippine Community Center on 11/11/23. Philippine ConGen Jerril Santos headlined the presentation by introducing the PCG Office in Houston and his Team. In his opening remarks, he said “I am thankful to PCCI in this collaborative work to present the roles and responsibilities of the Philippine Consulate in Houston. We have twelve staff in PCG Houston, and we serve six constituent states. With this event, we hope to learn from each other to foster unity and cooperation with each other.”
PCG Houston has jurisdiction over six states which include Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The goal of the PCG is to visit the six states once a year to bring consular services closer to its constituents. As of November 2023, PCG had accomplished its goal. PCG Houston reported close to 300,000 Filipinos present in these six states. The largest population of Filipinos is found in Texas. In the state of Texas alone, the estimates on stock distribution of Filipinos are as follows: Houston – 71000; Dallas – 52500; San Antonio – 23500 and Austin – 18000.
The official consular services were presented by Consul Gilbert Segarra which include passport services, civil registry, visa services, notarial services and assistance to nationals. Consul Segarra explained the nuances on delivering consular services. Some nuances encountered by the Consulate Office include same-sex marriages, gender reassignment, and recognition of foreign marriages.
It was another day, but this time, it was special to learn social graces as presented by the consulate staff. It definitely brought some new concepts and several eye opener learnings. Consul General Santos explained that “social graces are important to have a healthy interaction in community settings and event. It is important to be punctual.”
Some learnings as discusses include the idea that social graces entail a lot of work and attention to details when organizing or planning a community event. It may include extensive processes from selecting a venue, meals, and generating invitation template to include information about the venue, type of event, and menu selections. Social graces include being considerate with guests’ restrictions in food and being mindful of cultural differences.
One Philippines Texas News Editor, Ryan Tejero, applauded the PCG’s initiative in presenting its services and tips on social graces. In front of participants, he said “We thank the Philippine Consulate General Office in Houston for their hardwork and dedication in serving fellow Filipinos in their 6 constituent states. Today, we all succeed in receiving important information about our Consulate Office and also the tips on social graces. May we continue to support our PCG in Houston and echo to our community what we learned about social graces.”
PCG in Houston can be reached at pcghouston.consular@gmail.com; for Passport – houstonpcg.passport@gmail.com; Legal Services -houstonpcg.legal@gmail.com; Dual Citizenship -houstonpcg.citizenship@gmail.com; Civil Registry -houstonpcg.registry@gmail.com; Assistance to Nationals – pcghouston.atn@gmail.com; Overseas Voting – houstonpcg.ov@gmail.com; Cultural –pcghouston.cultural@gmail.com. More information can be found in houstonpcg.dfa.gov.ph and facebook.com/PH in Houston.
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