22 February 2011. The Philippine Consulate General opened its doors for the “5th Candlelight Tour” on 18 February 2011, organized by District 27 Representative Corinne Ching.  Scheduled on a full moon that provided a dramatic illumination of the white Philippine Consulate General building, the Candlelight Tour was a picture of splendor and gaiety.

Attendees were residents of the Liliha, Alewa Heights, Nuunu, Pu-unui, Palama, who were treated with Philippine delicacies and a musical program featuring the Philippine Chorale, a solo rendition by Deputy Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes and Consul General Leoncio Cardenas in the piano.

Consul General Cardenas, in his welcome remarks, called the attendees as “neighbors.” District 27 encompasses a wide swath of the picturesque valley and mountain topography of Honolulu.  The Philippine Consulate has been a part of the District when it opened its doors for consular services to the Filipino and Hawaiian community in 1957.

The Philippine Consulate stop is the last and the most awaited stop of the Candlelight tour which took attendees in Hawaii’s tourist favorite trolleys to the Queen Emma Palace and the Consulates General of Japan and Korea.  An attendee, who waited a year to be included in the list has heard of the Philippine Consulate’s vaunted hospitality and was not disappointed. She hopes to bring her mother and daughter to come in next year’s Tour.

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