List of diplomatic missions of the Philippines

The Republic of the Philippines has a network of diplomatic missions in major cities around the world, under the purview of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), to forward the country's interests in the areas that they serve, as well as to serve the ever-growing numbers of Overseas Filipinos and Overseas Filipino Workers.

Countries hosting diplomatic missions of the Philippines

Although the Philippine diplomatic mission network is wide, there are embassies that are accredited to other nations without Philippine diplomatic posts. The network as of February 2024 consists of 63 embassies, 28 consulates-general, 4 permanent missions to international organizations, and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei, and its two extension offices.

Excluded from this listing are honorary consulates, branches of the Sentro Rizal, overseas offices of the Department of Tourism and the Department of Migrant Workers, and trade missions (with the exception of MECO, which serves as the Philippines' de facto embassy to Taiwan).

History

Although attempts at initial diplomatic relations were made during the Philippine Revolution and the time of the First Philippine Republic, most nations have established diplomatic relations with the Philippines only in the years after the country achieved independence from the United States in 1946.

The first documented instance of a diplomatic mission of the Philippines being established abroad was that of the embassy in Tokyo, which was opened by the Second Philippine Republic, a puppet state of the Empire of Japan, on March 24, 1944, with Jorge B. Vargas as its first ambassador.[1] However, the mission was summarily closed with Japan's defeat in World War II, and as it was never recognized by the pre-war Commonwealth of the Philippines,[2] the oldest continually-operating Philippine diplomatic mission is that of the embassy in Washington, D.C., replacing the office of the Resident Commissioner of the Philippines after the country achieved independence from the United States on July 4, 1946,[2] and led by Joaquín Miguel Elizalde as its first ambassador.[3] This was followed shortly thereafter with the establishment of the permanent mission to the United Nations.[3]

A number of missions were opened in the first years after independence. In his 1947 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Manuel Roxas announced that missions in a number of other cities were also opened aside from the embassy in Washington, D.C.;[4] these included the first consulates general in New York City, San Francisco, and Honolulu, as well as consulates in Xiamen and Hong Kong.[5] Additional missions were opened the following year, including the first missions in Europe (in London, Madrid and Rome) and Latin America (in Buenos Aires).[6] By 1952, the Philippine foreign service had grown to encompass missions in 11 countries,[7] and by 1965 grew further to missions in 36 countries worldwide.[8]

The Philippines' diplomatic presence grew significantly during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, spurred in part by the normalization of relations with the Eastern Bloc in the early 1970s.[9] Philippine diplomatic missions were present in 43 countries by 1978,[10] with additional missions opening the following year, particularly in the Middle East.[11] By 1981, there were 63 countries worldwide hosting Philippine diplomatic missions.[12] Several missions, however, would be closed at the tail end of the Marcos presidency and in the years thereafter as part of a series of cost reduction programs.

Another expansion of the country's diplomatic presence took place during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, with 67 countries hosting Philippine diplomatic missions by the end of her presidency. This, however, was not without controversy: in 2010 Senator Franklin Drilon questioned the need for embassies in countries with small Filipino communities, calling for a review of the Philippines' diplomatic presence worldwide.[13] Arroyo's successor, Benigno Aquino III, then announced two years later the closure of ten posts (seven embassies and three consulates general): Caracas, Venezuela; Koror, Palau; Dublin, Ireland; Stockholm, Sweden; Bucharest, Romania; Havana, Cuba; Helsinki, Finland; Barcelona, Spain; Frankfurt, Germany and Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.[14] The closures have since been partially reversed under Aquino's successor, Rodrigo Duterte, as the consulate-general in Barcelona was set to reopen by 2019 after the House of Representatives passed a resolution urging the DFA to do so.[15] On 24 September 2018, the consulate general in Houston was reopened, 25 years after its closure, while the consulate general in Frankfurt was reopened on 15 January 2019,[16] and the embassy in Stockholm was reopened on 11 May 2020.[17][18]

On January 14, 2019, the Philippines opened its embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, the first new embassy to open since 2012,[19] while the first new consulate to open since 2012 opened in Nagoya, Japan on December 1, 2020.[20] In recent years, the government has announced its intention to open new missions, including new embassies in Colombia,[21] Ethiopia,[21] Kazakhstan,[21] Panama,[22] and Ukraine,[23] as well as reopening the embassies in Cuba, Ireland, and Palau.[21]

Current missions

Africa

Host countryHost cityMissionHead of missionConcurrent accreditationRef.
 EgyptCairoEmbassyEzzedin H. Tago
Countries:
[24][25]
 KenyaNairobiEmbassyMarie Charlotte G. Tang[26][27]
 LibyaTripoliEmbassyAlan Roi Q. Gabriola
Chargé d'Affaires, e.p.
Countries:
[28][29]
 MoroccoRabatEmbassyLeslie J. Baja
Countries:
[30]
 NigeriaAbujaEmbassyMersole J. Mellejor[31][32]
 South AfricaPretoriaEmbassyNoralyn J. Baja[33][34]

Americas

Host countryHost cityMissionHead of missionConcurrent accreditationRef.
 ArgentinaBuenos AiresEmbassyGrace T. Cruz-Fabella
Countries:
[35][36]
 BrazilBrasíliaEmbassyJoseph Gerard B. Angeles
Countries:
[37][38]
 CanadaOttawaEmbassyMaria Andrelita S. Austria
International Organizations:
[39][40]
CalgaryConsulate-GeneralZaldy B. Patron[39][41]
TorontoConsulate-GeneralAngelica C. Escalona[39][42][43]
VancouverConsulate-GeneralArlene T. Magno[39][44][45]
 ChileSantiago de ChileEmbassyCeleste S. Vinzon-Balatbat
Countries:
[46][47]
 MexicoMexico CityEmbassyLilybeth R. Deapera[48][49]
 United StatesWashington, D.C.EmbassyJose Manuel G. Romualdez
International Organizations:
[50][51][52]
ChicagoConsulate-GeneralJ. Susana V. Paez[50][53][54]
Hagåtña, GuamConsulate-GeneralRosario P. Lemque[50][55][56]
HonoluluConsulate-GeneralEmilio T. Fernandez[50][57]
HoustonConsulate-GeneralJerril G. Santos[50][58]
Los AngelesConsulate-GeneralEdgar B. Badajos[50][59]
New York CityConsulate-GeneralSenen T. Mangalile[50][60][61]
San FranciscoConsulate-GeneralNeil Frank R. Ferrer[50][62]

Asia

Host countryHost cityMissionHead of missionConcurrent accreditationRef.
 BahrainManamaEmbassyAnne Jalando-on Louis[63][64]
 BangladeshDhakaEmbassyLeo Tito L. Ausan Jr.
Countries:
[65][66]
 BruneiBandar Seri BegawanEmbassyMarian Jocelyn T. Ignacio[67][68]
 CambodiaPhnom PenhEmbassyFlerida Ann Camille P. Mayo[69][70]
 ChinaBeijingEmbassyJaime A. FlorCruz
Countries:
[71][72][73]
ChongqingConsulate-GeneralIvan Frank M. Olea[71][74]
GuangzhouConsulate-GeneralMarshall Louis M. Alferez[71][75]
Hong KongConsulate-GeneralRaly L. Tejada[71][76]
MacauConsulate-GeneralPorfirio M. Mayo Jr.[71][77]
ShanghaiConsulate-GeneralDinno M. Oblena[71][78]
XiamenConsulate-GeneralMaria Antonina M. Oblena[71][79]
 East TimorDiliEmbassyBelinda M. Ante[80][81]
 IndiaNew DelhiEmbassyJosel F. Ignacio
Countries:
[82][83][84]
 IndonesiaJakartaEmbassyGina A. Jamoralin[85]
ManadoConsulate-GeneralMary Jennifer Domingo Dingal[85][86]
 IranTehranEmbassyRoberto G. Manalo
Countries:
[87][88]
 IraqBaghdadEmbassyChristopher P. Castillo
Chargé d'Affaires, a.i.
[89]
 IsraelTel AvivEmbassyPedro R. Laylo Jr.[90][91]
 JapanTokyoEmbassyMylene J. Garcia-Albano[92][93][94]
NagoyaConsulate-GeneralRoy B. Ecraela[92]
OsakaConsulate-GeneralVoltaire D. Mauricio[92][95]
 JordanAmmanEmbassyWilfredo C. Santos
Countries:
[96][97]
 KuwaitKuwait CityEmbassyJose A. Cabrera III[98][99]
 LaosVientianeEmbassyDeena Joy D. Amatong[100][101]
 LebanonBeirutEmbassyRaymond R. Balatbat[102][103]
 MalaysiaKuala LumpurEmbassyMaria Angela A. Ponce[104][105][106]
 MyanmarYangonEmbassyEnrique Voltaire G. Pingol
Chargé d'Affaires, a.i.
[107][108]
 OmanMuscatEmbassyRaul S. Hernandez[109][110]
 PakistanIslamabadEmbassyMaria Agnes M. Cervantes[111][112]
 QatarDohaEmbassyLilibeth V. Pono[113][114]
 Republic of China (Taiwan)[c]TaipeiEconomic & Cultural OfficeSilvestre H. Bello III
Chairman & Resident Representative
[115]
KaohsiungExtension Office[115]
TaichungExtension Office[115]
 Saudi ArabiaRiyadhEmbassyRommel A. Romato
Chargé d'Affaires, a.i.
Countries:
[116][117]
JeddahConsulate-GeneralEdgar Tomas Q. Auxilian[116][118]
 SingaporeSingaporeEmbassyMedardo G. Macaraig[119][120]
 South KoreaSeoulEmbassyMa. Theresa B. Dizon-de Vega[121][122][123]
 SyriaDamascusEmbassyJohn G. Reyes
Chargé d'Affaires, e.p.
[124]
 ThailandBangkokEmbassyMillicent Cruz-Paredes[125][126]
 TurkeyAnkaraEmbassyHenry S. Bensurto Jr.
Countries:
[127][128]
IstanbulConsulate-GeneralShirlene C. Mananquil[127]
 United Arab EmiratesAbu DhabiEmbassyAlfonso A. Ver
International Organizations:
[129][130]
DubaiConsulate-GeneralRenato N. Dueñas Jr.[130][131]
 VietnamHanoiEmbassyMeynardo L.B. Montealegre[132][133]

Europe

Host countryHost cityMissionHead of missionConcurrent accreditationRef.
 AustriaViennaEmbassyEvangelina Lourdes A. Bernas
Countries:
[134][135][136]
 BelgiumBrusselsEmbassyJaime Victor B. Ledda
Countries:
International Organizations:
[137][138]
 Czech RepublicPragueEmbassyEduardo Martin R. Meñez[139]
 DenmarkCopenhagenEmbassyLeo M. Herrera-Lim[140]
 FranceParisEmbassyJunever M. Mahilum-West
Countries:
International Organizations:
[141][142]
 GermanyBerlinEmbassyIrene Susan B. Natividad[143][144]
FrankfurtConsulate-GeneralMarie Yvette L. Banzon-Abalos[143][145][146]
 GreeceAthensEmbassyGiovanni E. Palec
Countries:
[147][148]
 Holy See[d]RomeEmbassyMyla Grace Ragenia C. Macahilig[149]
 HungaryBudapestEmbassyFrank R. Cimafranca[150][151]
 ItalyRomeEmbassyNathaniel G. Imperial
Countries:
[152][153]
MilanConsulate-GeneralElmer G. Cato[152][154]
 NetherlandsThe HagueEmbassyJ. Eduardo E. Malaya III
International Organizations:
[155][156][157]
 NorwayOsloEmbassyEnrico T. Fos
Countries:
[158][159]
 PolandWarsawEmbassyLeah B. Ruiz
Countries:
[160][161]
 PortugalLisbonEmbassyPaul Raymund P. Cortes[162][163]
 RussiaMoscowEmbassyIgor G. Bailen
Countries:
[164][165]
 SpainMadridEmbassyPhilippe J. Lhuillier
Countries:
International Organizations:
[166][167][168][169]
BarcelonaConsulate-GeneralMa. Therese S.M. Lázaro[167][170]
 SwedenStockholmEmbassyMaria Lumen B. Isleta
Countries:
[18]
  SwitzerlandBernEmbassyBernard F. Dy
Countries:
[171][172]
GenevaConsulate-GeneralFelipe Carino III[172]
 United KingdomLondonEmbassyTeodoro L. Locsin Jr.
Countries:
International Organizations:
[173]

Oceania

Host countryHost cityMissionHead of missionConcurrent accreditationRef.
 AustraliaCanberraEmbassyMa. Hellen Barber de la Vega
Countries:
[174][175]
MelbourneConsulate-GeneralMaria Lourdes M. Salcedo[175][176]
SydneyConsulate-GeneralCharmaine Rowena C. Aviquivil[175][177]
 New ZealandWellingtonEmbassyKira Christianne D. Azucena
Countries:
[178][179]
 Papua New GuineaPort MoresbyEmbassyAriz Severino V. Convalecer
Chargé d'Affaires, a.i.
Countries:
[180]

Multilateral organizations

OrganizationHost cityHost countryMissionHead of missionConcurrent accreditationRef.
 Association of Southeast Asian NationsJakartaIndonesiaPermanent MissionHjayceelyn M. Quintana[181][182]
 United NationsNew York CityUnited StatesPermanent MissionAntonio M. Lagdameo
International Organizations:
[183][184]
GenevaSwitzerlandPermanent MissionCarlos D. Sorreta[182]
 World Trade OrganizationGenevaSwitzerlandPermanent MissionManuel Antonio J. Teehankee[182][185]

Closed missions

Africa

Host countryHost cityMissionYear closedRef.
 GabonLibrevilleEmbassyUnknown[186][failed verification]
 MadagascarAntananarivoEmbassyUnknown[8]
 SenegalDakarEmbassy1993[187]

Americas

Host countryHost cityMissionYear closedRef.
 CanadaWinnipegConsulate-General1985[188]
 CubaHavanaEmbassy2012[14]
 PeruLimaEmbassy1993[187]
 United StatesNew OrleansConsulate-General1985[188]
Saipan, Northern Mariana IslandsConsulate-General2012[14]
SeattleConsulate-GeneralUnknown[8][189]
 VenezuelaCaracasEmbassy2012[14]

Asia

Host countryHost cityMissionYear closedRef.
 South Vietnam[e]SaigonEmbassy1975[190]
 Sri LankaColomboEmbassy1993[191][187]

Europe

Host countryHost cityMissionYear closedRef.
 East Germany[f]East BerlinEmbassy1990
 FinlandHelsinkiEmbassy2012[14]
 GermanyBonnEmbassy Extension Office[g]2008[192]
HamburgConsulate-General2009[193]
 IrelandDublinEmbassy2012[14]
 RomaniaBucharestEmbassy2012[14]
 YugoslaviaBelgradeEmbassy1992[194][195]

Oceania

Host countryHost cityMissionYear closedRef.
 MicronesiaKoloniaEmbassy1993[187]
 PalauKororEmbassy2012[14]

Multilateral organizations

OrganizationHost cityHost countryMissionYear closedRef.
European CommunitiesBrusselsBelgiumPermanent Mission1985[188]
 UNESCOParisFrancePermanent Mission1985[188]

See also

Notes

References