Filipino envoy new dean of Hawaiian consular corps

A FILIPINO envoy was elected dean of the Consular Corps of Hawaii, the eighth Filipino to have been honored to serve the prestigious post.

Philippine Consul General Gina Jamoralin took oath as the new Dean of the Consular Corps of Hawaii at the 46th Annual Consular Corps Inaugural Gala in front of more than 250 guests at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu on February 11.

The event is considered as Honolulu’s most prestigious annual gala.

Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald and outgoing Corps Dean Admiral R.J. “Zap” Zlatoper, honorary consul of Slovenia, presided the inauguration ceremony for the corps’

Jan Rumi, Honorary Consul of Morocco and Bangladesh; Secretary Nina Hamre Fasi, Honorary Consul of Norway; Treasurer Annie Kaneshiro, Honorary Consular Agent of Tonga; Auditor Theres Ryf Desai, Honorary Consul of Switzerland; and Corps Historian Niklaus Schweizer, Dean Emeritus, Switzerland.

Jamoralin said her installa Philippines’ chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year.

She expressed hope that dur- ing her one-year term, the Consular Corps of Hawaii could further promote people- to- people exchanges through business seminars and trade missions and enhanced cooperation between the corps and the local business chambers, advocate cultural exchanges and foster deeper relations among its members.

Retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald Moon received the 2016 Distinguished Service Medal for his exemplary service to the corps and the State of Hawaii, as well as his contributions to international diplomacy. M. Jan Rumi received the 2016 Distinguished Service Award for his contributions in improving relations between nations.

Hawaii’s cultural heritage was represented by bandmaster Clarke Bright and the Royal Hawaiian Band.

The band played the national anthems of the United States, the Philippines and Slovenia, and provided cocktail hour musical entertainment

The Consular Corps of Hawaii traces its history back to the 1824 meetings between American and British consular representatives.

France became the third nation to have consular representation in in 1952, seven Philippine consuls general have served as dean.