Shanghai, 08 September 2021 –  Five consular Attachées of the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) joined their counterparts from other Shanghai-based consular missions in the Welcome Coffee and Bund Cruise organized by the Consular Spouses Shanghai (CSS) on 8 September.

The program included a three-hour cruise of the Huangpu River and a briefing on the history and activities of the CSS. It provided ample opportunities for networking among participants, who consisted of female foreign service personnel, the spouses and family members of foreign consular officials assigned to Shanghai, and officials of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal Government.

The PCG was represented by Consular Attachées Ella Cecilia P. Acena, Cherryann F. Belmonte-Banda, Joan E. Mariñas, Jeannie F. Petrola, and Jennifer M. Ranches. It was the first time for the PCG to join a CSS activity. Their participation is in keeping with the importance attached by the Consulate General to networking and building linkages with individual missions, the larger corps, host-city officials, and contacts in the social and cultural scene – all essential components of effective diplomacy.

With a history dating back to 1975, the CSS (http://www.shanghaiconsularspouses.org/) is a non-profit and apolitical association that brings together consular spouses and female consular officers in Shanghai around cultural visits, social events and charity work. It is run entirely by volunteers and governed by a volunteer board of members elected for a one-year term. END