Pacific Century Fellows focus on strengthening Hawaii-Philippines relationship with special visit
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Members of a prestigious leadership training program from Hawaii recently traveled to the Philippines on a special visit.
Former Honolulu Mayor and current President/CEO of the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association Mufi Hannemann founded the Pacific Century Fellows Program (PCF) in 1996, modeled after the White House Fellows program to empower emerging leaders across the state to solve local challenges.
Last month, this year’s cohort of 30 business and community leaders. along with some PCF alumni, met with Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who lived in Hawaii for 5 years, when his father, former President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., was ousted following a nonviolent revolution in 1986 and exiled here.
Marcos Sr. died in Honolulu in 1989, and the family was allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991 and rebuilt their political careers.
The fellows met with various Filipino leaders and discussed ways to boost business opportunities and tourism for both destinations, including more flights to Ilocos Norte, where many Filipinos in Hawaii have roots.
The group visited Ilocos Norte at the invitation of Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc and learned about Hawaii’s strong historic ties to the region.
For more information, visit pacificcenturyfellows.com.
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