New Orleans gala toasts Fil-Am history

Consul to Honolulu General Gina A. Jamoralin, Chicago Consul General Generoso D.G. Calonge and Dr. Sharon Delmendo from Rochester, New York (seated from left to right) are warmly welcomed by leaders and members of the Filipino community in Louisiana led by Lita Romero, wife of Honorary Consul Roberto Romero, at the start of the Gala Night of the Filipino American History Month celebration at Hilton Hotel, New Orleans. CONTRIBUTED

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Filipinos love to showcase their living traditions by reliving their history and showcasing their signature food, dance and attire.

Guest scholars and resource persons were treated to Filipino-style Southern hospitality in a recent gala night held at the Hilton Hotel in New Orleans.

The first-ever symposium in New Orleans on Filipino immigration to the U.S. was part of a two-day Filipino American History Month celebration.

Leaders and members of Filipino community organizations came from various parts of Louisiana in their colorful Barong Tagalog and baro’t saya to celebrate the unique Filipino heritage, on the invitation of Honorary Consul Roberto Romero.

Lita Romero (left) with Princess Emraida Kiram and Jelly Carandang from the Filipino American National Historical Society of the Midwest at the gala. CONTRIBUTED

Members of the Consular Corps of New Orleans met and mingled with Filipino immigrants who have sunk roots in the Pelican State, many of whom, like the first Filipino settlers in the Barataria Bay, have intermarried with native-born Americans.

Consul General in Chicago Generoso D.G. Calonge noted how history shaped and formed Filipino culture into a distinct mix of foreign influences and homegrown customs.

He called on Filipino Americans in Louisiana to bring their “proud identity and wisdom” of their forebears to have a meaningful impact on their continuing integration into mainstream society. He offered a donation to the victims of the recent flooding in the state from the voluntary contributions of the officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago.

Consul General Gina A. Jamoralin thanked the community as partners of the Philippine government in preserving Filipino culture and urged them to participate more actively in their local affairs.

Honorary Consul Romero and Calonge handed certificates of recognition to the resource persons for the symposium as well as the officers and members of the Philippine-Louisiana Historical Society.