PRESS RELEASE NO. 147-2024
Vice Consul Caasi (2nd from right) and Ms. Mislang (rightmost) interact with booth visitors during the Sakada Day Celebration at Hawaii’s Plantation Village.
23 December 2024, Honolulu – To honor of the contributions of the sakadas to Hawaii, the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu joined the fun-filled Sakada Day celebration at Hawaii’s Plantation Village last 21 December, upon the invitation of the Philippine Celebrations Coordinating Committee of Hawaii (PCCCH).
Consul Grace Bulos and Vice Consul Leizel Caasi led personnel in manning the Consulate’s information booth, where the public’s queries on consular services were addressed. Consulate personnel also promoted upcoming events and activities, including the 2025 Very Important Pinoy Tour, scheduled from 6 to 16 July 2025. They also gave out souvenir items and Philippine snacks during the activity.
The PCCCH collaborated with the University of Hawaii at Manoa Center for Philippine Studies and the Filipino Curriculum Project in staging the celebration. Former State Senator Benette Misalucha and Filipino community leader Allan Alvarez served as co-chairs of the event, which aimed to impart on the younger generation the sacrifices and crucial role the sakadas played in enhancing the economy and culture of Hawaii and Philippines-Hawaii ties.
The celebration connected the past with the present, featuring the culminating projects of students from Farrington High School and Waipahu High School who took the pioneer Filipino History Culture course (CHR 2300) offered in the first semester of school year 2024 - 2025. The State of Hawaii is the first state in the United States to offer such a course to Hawaii public high schools. The course came into fruition through the efforts of the student collaborators of the Filipino Curriculum Project. (END)
Consul Bulos (2nd from right) joins the student collaborators of the Filipino Curriculum Project, who paved the way for a Philippine history and culture subject to be taught in Hawaii public high schools.
The Sakada Day event featured student performances from participating high schools to honor the Sakada legacy.
