25 August 2020, Ottawa – Filipinos throughout Eastern Canada gathered today for two unprecedented farewell events held in honor of outgoing Philippine Ambassador Petronila P. Garcia.

In the first event, members of different Filipino community organizations in Ottawa, ON, Montreal, QC, Fredricton, NB, Halifax, NS, and Summerside, PEI, congregated online in a despedida for the Ambassador hosted by the Embassy of the Philippines in Canada.

During the virtual farewell, representatives from the various organizations delivered heartfelt messages for the Ambassador, thanking her for her dedicated service and her efforts to reach out to the Filipino diaspora throughout the country. Some of the participants also thanked her for always highlighting Filipino culture and the arts while others expressed their appreciation for the consular outreach missions held by the Philippine Embassy in their provinces every year.

A second farewell event was hosted online by Mrs. Rosemer Enverga on the same day. The event was attended by religious, cultural, and civic-oriented Filipino organizations in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as Senator Yonah Martin, Member of Parliament Nelly Shin, and Member of Provincial Parliament Vijay Thanigasalam. Interspersed between the various messages for the Ambassador were musical performances by Ron Michael Adea and diva Lilac Cana.

Ambassador Garcia thanked the participants during the two events and expressed how touched she was by their messages. She recalled the many developments that have taken place during her six-year tenure and the projects that the Philippine Embassy completed in collaboration with the various Filipino organizations. She credited the positive image of Filipinos in Canada to the hard work and achievements of the Filipino community. She enjoined all attendees to continue to extend the same support for the Philippine Embassy and the next Ambassador. END.