PH Consulate General Inaugurates New Office in Houston

Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez (left) and Consul General to Houston Jerril G. Santos (right) unveil the Coat of Arms of the Philippine Consulate General in Houston. (Houston PCG photo)

HOUSTON 27 March 2019 – Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez and Consul General to Houston Jerril G. Santos led the inauguration of the new office of the Philippine Consulate General in Houston at 9990 Richmond Avenue, Suite 100N in Houston on 22 March 2019.

Philippine Consuls General to Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco traveled to Houston to attend the inaugural ceremony. More than a hundred guests also graced the occasion, 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.

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

Read during the ceremony were the congratulatory message of Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Finance chairperson Senator Loren Legarda, and the certificates recognizing the inaugural ceremony issued by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

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.                              

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 string trio viola and violin composed of Filipino-American students rendered a mix of Filipino and foreign classics. END

Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez offered toast together with the Philippine Consuls General in the U.S. (Houston PCG photo)

The new lobby of the Philippine Consulate General in Houston welcomes clients to a bigger consular area. (Houston PCG photo)

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. (Houston PCG photo)