The new Consul General of the Philippines to New South Wales has arrived in Sydney to assume her duties as head of the Philippine Consulate General in this capital city.
The Honorable Eva G. Betita, the new Head of the Philippine Consulate, is a career diplomat of the Philippine Foreign Service. She is a senior official who was until recently an Assistant Secretary of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs.
Her assignment to Sydney is her third overseas posting. She was earlier detailed to the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu and to the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco.
Consul General Betita said that the Consulate will continue the successful legacies of the previous consuls general, such as the Read Philippines program and the endorsement of brilliant young Filipino artists to Sydney’s notable international cultural festivals, such as the annual Sydney Writers’ Festival and the annual Sydney Film Festival.
“I would like to see the Read Philippines program reach out to more cities and towns of New South Wales. The endeavor to establish a collection of books on Philippine literature, history, and culture in city libraries is worthwhile and important, because it creates a resource for the youth of Philippine heritage to enrich their knowledge of their ancestry,” Betita said.
She adds that the Consulate will have new thrusts and endeavors to engage the second-generation Filipino-Australians in initiatives and associations that will tap their talents, skills and expertise for the service of their communities.
On top of her consular agenda, Consul General Betita wishes to promote the ongoing registration of dual citizen Filipinos and Filipino residents to the Overseas Absentee Voters (OAV) program for the 2010 national (Presidential and Senatorial) elections of the Philippines. The registration of overseas Filipino voters continues at the Consulate until August 31, 2009.