04/28/2026
UC BERKELEY PILIPINX STUDENTS DEMAND THAT THE SF PHILIPPINE CONSULATE FULFILLS ITS RESPONSIBILITY OF DEFENDING THE WELFARE OF FILIPINO MIGRANT WORKERS.
Last Wednesday on April 22nd, PAA, other Pil-organizations, allied organizations, and students mobilized in front of Dwinelle, where a lecture being funded by the SF Philippine Consulate’s grant was being given. We had a PAA and PCN representative speak during the mobilization, speaking out against the SF Philippine Consulate’s failure to serve their people.
The SF Philippine Consulate gave a grant of ₽430,000 ($7k) to UC Berkeley’s Institute of East Asian Studies through the Department of Foreign Affairs. The Consulate is responsible for protecting the rights and promoting the welfare of Filipino people overseas. The grant money should have been used to fund Assistance to National Services—a program where Filipino migrants receive legal assistance, migration services, workplace support, and other consulate services. UC Berkeley—a foreign institution—does not need this grant money, but Filipino migrants abroad require the Consulate’s support.
During our endless chants and speeches, the Consulate officials LEFT in the midst of our action. Although we did get the officials to leave, they REFUSED to speak with fellow mobilization organizers about the grant, lecture, and lack of support for Filipino migrants. Their exit does not only show how we successfully pressured them off our campus, but highlights their fear for confronting the demands of their people and their lack of commitment to helping Filipino migrants.
We continue to demand transparency regarding the grant’s use and most importantly, that the SF Philippine Consulate releases Assistance to National Funds to support migrant workers.
