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Philippine consul
to leave post

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By Rosemarie Bernardo
Star-Bulletin

Philippine Consul General Minerva Jean A. Falcon will leave her post in Honolulu after four years of serving the Filipino community here.

For 28 years, Falcon worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines. She conducted government and business relations in places such as Turkey, Spain and France.

Originally from Lal-lo, on the Philippine island of Cagaya, Falcon said she felt blessed to be assigned to Hawaii, since "I come from the tropics. It's very easy for me to feel at home here."

Falcon, 54, will return to the foreign affairs department in Manila on Nov. 5, to await her next assignment.

In her final days as consul general, Falcon will be preparing a scholarship fund for college students of Filipino ancestry.

During her tenure as consul general, some of Falcon's accomplishments have been:

Making improvements to the 75-year-old Philippine Consulate building on the Pali Highway. Repairs included repaving the driveway, repainting the building and renovating the lanai where meetings and social gatherings are held.

Helping coordinate a dinner honoring Philippine President Joseph Estrada during his one-day visit to Hawaii.

Organizing an array of activities in 1998 to commemorate the centennial of Philippine independence.

Between 1966 and 1970, Falcon earned her bachelor's degree and a law degree from the University of the Philippines. In 1986, she received a master's degree in international relations at Boston University in Paris.

Falcon moved to Hawaii during the latter part of 1996 with her three children, Banuar Reuben, 24, Maria, 23, and Marc Sumakwel, 22.

Moving from place to place, Falcon said she was worried her children would lose their connection with their culture.

"With these four straight years spent in Hawaii, that special concern as a mother, a diplomatic mother, vanishes," she said.

Falcon's position as consul general officially ends on Oct. 31. Her successor, Rolando Gregorio, will begin his duties Nov. 1.