Meet-and-greet with the Philippine Consulate General of Calgary and AFCLA G10+

Posted on October 1, 2026 by Sunny South News

By S.C. Baysa
Pinoy Hour

On Sept. 19, the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary, located downtown, convened a formal gathering in collaboration with the Alberta Fil-Can Community Leaders’ Association G10+ (AFCLA). 

Following their previous collaborative engagement in September 2024, this assembly provided Alberta’s Filipino community leaders with a platform to engage in thought, exchange perspectives regarding contemporary developments, and initiatives within their respective jurisdictions. 

A substantial portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing the recent enhancements made to the Official Philippine Consulate General of Calgary website. These enhancements provided improved access to Immigration services, documentation, application Forms, and overseas registration facilities. 

The Southern Alberta Filipino community was well represented. Headed by Vic Visitation (Lethbridge), Bagot Bienvenido (Taber), and making their first appearance was Claudine Zaragoza (Fort Macleod). Rounding-up the Alberta Filipino officers are Jun Martin (Airdrie), Jhay Clearwater (Rocky Mountain House), Leo Tabares (Camrose), Cherry De Castro (Red Deer), Lorenza Labangco (Trochu/ Three Hills), Digna Almonte (Sundre), Vanessa Moyo (Mountain View County) and Rosette Hussey (Grande Prairie). 

The President of AFCLA, Jun Cacayuran has this to say: “I am thankful and honoured for the PCG’s invitation and to the Leaders and representatives of their respective groups. The time and effort to attend today’s meeting means a lot.” Philippine Consul General of Calgary, Emma Sarne, left a grateful message for those in attendance.

“I want to congratulate AFCLA G10+ for organizing this ‘Kumustahan’ at the consulate. You know it’s already our second year to do this. The first time we did this was in 2024 and I’m very glad to be back here to talk about updates to find out how we can better help each other, how we can better communicate or put forward our concerns.” 

What this gathering provided for the community as a whole was opening the gates to immigrants who are looking to move or work in Alberta and opening new services within the Filipino organizations, making the bridge between Canada and the Philippines closer than previous years.