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Ontario Premier Doug Ford with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo (photo courtesy of Province of Ontario)

Toronto, 09 May 2024 - Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo met with Ontario Premier Doug Ford during his official visit to Toronto. Premier Ford acknowledged the significant contributions of Filipinos to Ontario’s development while Secretary Manalo expressed gratitude for the hospitality and the opportunities provided by Ontario to Filipinos.

Secretary Manalo conveyed the Philippine government’s hope for the continued support of the province in streamlining credentials recognition for internationally trained and educated professionals and strengthening protection for foreign workers and international students. Premier Ford conveyed the Ontario government’s commitment to address the concerns of the Filipino community.

Secretary Manalo and Premier Ford also discussed opportunities for cooperation on trade and investment, energy security and people to people exchanges.

During the meeting, Premier Ford was joined by Ontario Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development David Piccini, Special Advisor to the Premier Mr. Anish Dwivedi and Director of Policy Mr. Kyles Fritz. Secretary Manalo was accompanied by Philippine Ambassador to Canada Maria Andrelita Austria, Assistant Secretary Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga of the Office of American Affairs, Consul General Angelica Escalona, Consul Rodney Jonas Sumague and Special Assistant Tanya Faye Ramiro.

According to the 2021 Census of Statistics Canada, the Province of Ontario has the largest number of Filipinos in Canada at 363,650, which represents 38% of the total number of Filipinos in the country. END

Premier Ford and Secretary Manalo discuss the concerns of the Filipino diaspora in Ontario (photo courtesy of Province of Ontario)

(Left to right) Ontario Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development David Piccini, Premier Ford, Secretary Manalo, Philippine Ambassador to Canada Maria Andrelita Austria, Consul General Angelica Escalona, Assistant Secretary Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga and Special Assistant Tanya Faye Ramiro. (photo courtesy of Province of Ontario) 

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Deputy Consul General Kewin Orville Tate (2nd from right) and Seneca President David Agnew (2nd from left) discuss ways to support Filipino international students of Seneca Polytechnic

03 May 2024 – The Philippine Consulate General met with officials of Seneca Polytechnic to discuss ways to support Filipino international students enrolled in Seneca. Seneca Polytechnic accepts around 4,000 Filipino international students every term, making it one of the most popular destinations for Filipino students.

The Consulate General shall continue to visit colleges and universities under its jurisdiction in its effort to reach out to the growing number of Filipino international students arriving in Canada. According to the IRCC, Canada’s immigration agency, there were 25,265 and 33,945 student visas issued to Filipinos in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Approximately 40% of those granted student visas study in postsecondary institutions located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Consul Rodney Jonas Sumague discussing the Consulate General’s services and inviting the students to the Filipino International Students Convention  

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(L-R) BARMM Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Lanang Ali, Jr., The Expo Hut CEO Nasser Deeb, Consul General Angelica Escalona, Philippine DTI-Halal Program Manager Aleem Guiapal and Vietnam Commercial Counsellor Quynh Tran

08 May 2024 – A delegation composed of Philippine government and private sector representatives participated in the 4th Halal Expo Canada held at The International Centre in Mississauga on 8-9 May 2024. It was the first time that the Philippines participated in the Halal Expo Canada.

Mr. Aleem Siddiqui M. Guiapal, Manager of the Halal Program of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), gave a presentation on the Philippine halal ecosystem during the event. He shared that the halal economy covers not only food but also Islamic finance, halal tourism and recreation, modest fashion and halal pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

With regard to halal food, Mr. Guiapal said that the Philippines exports bananas, pineapple and cosmetics mostly to the Middle East and neighboring Southeast Asian countries. He noted, however, that there is a significant supply gap in the Philippines. In 2022, the Philippine halal imports were valued at around US$120 million composed mostly of halal dairy products, beef, poultry meat and glucose syrup sourced from the US, New Zealand and India.

Mr. Guiapal spoke about the Philippines’ halal industry roadmap, which aims to promote the Philippines as a premium halal-friendly hub in the Asia-Pacific region. “I invite you to invest in the Philippine halal industry, which is a sunrise industry,” he said. For more information about the Philippine Halal Industry, please visit https://www.dti.gov.ph/sdm_downloads/philippine-halal-industry-development-strategic-plan/.

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Deputy Speaker of Parliament Atty. Lanang T. Ali Jr. gave a presentation on investing in the BARMM region. The DTI signed a partnership with the BARMM for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to benefit from halal initiatives. For more information about investing in the BARMM, please visit https://bangsamoro.gov.ph/.

The Halal Expo Canada participants were invited to participate in the Halal Expo Philippines to be held at the World Trade Center in Metro Manila on 14-16 November 2024. For more information about the Halal Expo Philippines, please visit https://www.halalexpophilippines.com/. END

(Center) Consul General Angelica Escalona and Consul General of Turkey to Toronto Can Yoldaş cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the 4th Halal Expo Canada The Philippine delegation with Consul General Angelica Escalona and members and advisors of the Muslim Filipino Association of Canada 

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SSS President and CEO Rolando Macasaet leading the discussion and answering questions from the Filipino community

22 April 2024 – The Social Security System (SSS) and Philippine Consulate General in Toronto hosted a Kapihan sa Konsulado to enable members of the Filipino community to hear from SSS President and CEO Rolando L. Macasaet and his team about updates on SSS policies and programs.

Joining PCEO Macasaet at the Kapihan were SSS Special Assistant and Chief of Staff Manuel Luis Antonio; Acting Vice President for Asia, Americas and the Pacific Operations Division Roberto Roldan; and SSS-Toronto Representative Ms. Lucille Blesilda Simbol.

Around 60 people attended the Kaphihan. Members of the Filipino community had the opportunity to ask questions about SSS contributions, benefits and pensions. PCEO Macasaet noted the concerns of those attending the event and invited them to check the status of their contributions with the SSS-Toronto Office.

PCEO Macasaet said that the SSS is focused on ensuring the financial viability of the pension fund and on providing social security protection to as many Filipino workers as possible. “As Overseas Filipinos, it is only fitting that you should be covered by adequate and reliable social protection for life’s contingencies”, he emphasized.

The SSS-Toronto Office can be reached through telephone number 416 485 2999 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To schedule an appointment, please click here. (END)

SSS President and CEO Macasaet, Consul General Angelica Escalona and the members of the Filipino community during the SSS Kapihan sa Konsulado (Left to right) Consul Rodney Jonas Sumague, SSS-Toronto Representative Lucille Simbol, SSS Acting Vice President Roberto Roldan, Consul General Escalona, SSS President and CEO Macasaet, Deputy Consul General Kerwin Orville Tate, Special Assistant and Chief of Staff Manuel Luis Antonio and Consul Mary Grace Villamayor