Press Release

CONSULATE GENERAL CONDUCTS BACK-TO-BACK ORIENTATION SEMINARS FOR FILIPINO TEACHERS AND STAFF

Filipino Chicago Public Schools teachers with the Consulate General officials and staff headed by Consul General

Melanie Rita B. Diano (seated 5th from the left), and with the resource persons: Ms. Nettie Lasko of the Illinois

Attorney General’s Office (seated 5th from the right); Labor Attaché Saul De Vries (seated 4th from the left); and Mr.

Jan Paul Ferrer (seated 3rd from the left) during the orientation seminar on 05 September 2025 in Chicago

(Chicago PCG photo)

Filipino teachers and staff of Waukegan Public Schools with the Consulate General officials and staff headed by

Consul General Melanie Rita B. Diano (center, seated) (to her right is Mr. Angel Figueroa, Associate Superintendent

of Waukegan Public Schools), and with the resource persons: Labor Attaché Saul De Vries (seated 5th from the right);

and is Mr. Jan Paul Ferrer (seated 3rd from the right) during the orientation seminar on 06 September 2025 in Waukegan, Illinois

(Chicago PCG photo)

CHICAGO 08 September 2025– The Philippine Consulate General in Chicago conducted a Post-Arrival Orientation and Seminar (PAOS) for Filipino teachers of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) on 05 September 2025 at the Robert R. McCormick Foundation Atrium, National Louis University in Chicago. Thirty-five (35) Filipino teachers, deployed under the US Exchange Visitor Program (EVP) or the J-1 Program in 2024 and this year, participated during the event.

The next day, 06 September 2025, another orientation seminar was conducted for Filipino teachers and staff of Waukegan Public Schools held at Miguel Juarez Middle School in Waukegan, Illinois. A total of twenty-five (25) participants attended the program, comprising both J-1 and H-1B visa holders who were deployed in 2024 and 2025.

Forming part of the Consulate General’s Gender and Development (GAD) program, both events empowered the participants with knowledge on the services of relevant Philippine Government agencies. The following were the resource persons and their topics for both events:
• Ms. Kristine Joy Gacer of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) discussed, via Zoom, the regulations applicable to the US EVP and the services of the EVP Secretariat;
• Labor Attaché Saul De Vries and Ms. Freya Palad gave an overview of the services of the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Washington D.C.; and
• Consul Melvin Almonguera talked about the Consulate General’s services, while Consul Ella Karina Mitra zeroed in on its cultural diplomacy initiatives.

Consul General Melanie Rita B. Diano delivering the opening remarks during the orientation seminar on 05

September 2025 in Chicago (Chicago PCG photo)

Ms. Lasko introducing the legal services of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office during the orientation seminar on

05 September 2025 in Chicago (Chicago PCG photo)

Labor Attaché De Vries giving an overview of the services of the Migrant Workers Office during the orientation

seminar on 06 September 2025 in Waukegan (Chicago PCG photo)

Both seminars included a Financial Literacy segment, with Mr. Jan Paul Ferrer, Senior Vice President of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and a Filipino community leader, sharing valuable insights on managing and growing one’s income. Meanwhile, due to scheduling constraints, only the PAOS for CPS teachers highlighted a presentation by Ms. Nettie Lasko, Consular Corps Liaison of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, who discussed the legal services offered by her office.

The participants expressed their appreciation to the Consulate General for the information imparted through the PAOS and for the opportunity to gather in-person.

In her remarks, Consul General Melanie Rita B. Diano warmly thanked the resource speakers for their time and expertise in discussing their topics for the benefit of the Filipino teachers and staff. She highlighted their vital role in making a profound impact in the educational landscape of the US. Drawing a historical parallel to the Thomasites, the pioneering group of American teachers who, in 1901, established the modern public school system in the Philippines, she likened today’s Filipino teachers and staff in the US to educational trailblazers—bridging nations, fostering understanding, and leaving a lasting legacy in the communities they serve. END

Mr. Ferrer suggesting the “bucket approach” to growing one’s income during the orientation seminar on

05 September 2025 in Chicago (Chicago PCG photo)

Consul Ella Karina Mitra discussing the Consulate’s cultural diplomacy program during the orientation seminar on

06 September 2025 in Waukegan (Chicago PCG photo)

A participant during the orientation seminar on 06 September 2025 in Waukegan raising a query to

CFO’s Ms. Gacer, who presented via Zoom (Chicago PCG photo)

Consul Melvin Almonguera presenting the Consulate’s services during the orientation seminar on

06 September 2025 in Waukegan (Chicago PCG photo)

Consul General Melanie Rita B. Diano awarding a Certificate of Appreciation to Mr. Angel Figueroa, Associate

Superintendent of Waukegan Public Schools, during the orientation seminar on 06 September 2025 in Waukegan

(Chicago PCG photo)