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Participants to the annual Consular and Economic Consultations pose for a group photo (picture courtesy of Toronto PCG)

16 October – The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto hosted the annual Consular and Economic Consultations (CEC) of the Philippine foreign service posts in Canada on 13-15 October 2023.

Senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs led by Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro attended the CEC to give updates on the latest policy directions regarding consular services, economic diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, assistance to nationals and other topics. Also present to give updates were officials from the Department of Migrant Workers, Department of Agriculture, Department of Tourism and the Philippine Social Security System.

For the first time, the CEC additionally served as a planning session for all the Philippine foreign service posts in Canada. The Philippine Embassy in Ottawa as well as the Philippine Consulates General in Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver discussed the priority programs and objectives that would be the focus of work for the coming year. They were joined at the CEC by the Philippine Honorary Consul in Saskatchewan and the Philippine Honorary Consul in Winnipeg. END

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Officials of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, MWO Toronto, OWWA Toronto and SSS Toronto with the COA Audit Team at the exit conference where the audit observations and recommendations as well as management replies were discussed

11 October 2023 – The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto welcomed an audit of the Consulate and the Migrant Migrant Workers Office Toronto, OWWA Toronto and SSS Toronto conducted by Commission on Audit (COA).

The COA team was headed by Commissioner Mario G. Lipana.

The COA periodically conducts audits of the accounts and performance of Philippine government agencies including Philippine embassies and consulates.

During the exit conference held on 11 October 2023, Commissioner Lipana and the State Auditors expressed appreciation for the full cooperation of the Consulate and the attached agencies.

Consul General Angelica C. Escalona said, “The audit team made it clear that their objective is to ensure compliance with Philippine laws and regulations and help us in the performance of our mandate. We appreciate the audit team’s observations and recommendations. We shall address these items as soon as possible.” (END)

Consul General Angelica C. Escalona with COA Commissioner Mario G. Lipana Officials of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, MWO Toronto, OWWA Toronto and SSS Toronto with the COA Audit Team 

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Ms. Haydee Jacklyn Malubay giving her remarks after ISOCARP President Pietro Elisei (left) announced the selection of the Philippines as host of the next Congress,

13 October 2023, Toronto – The Philippines was selected to host the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) Planning Congress in 2024. This was announced during the handover and closing ceremony of the 59th ISOCARP World Planning Congress in Toronto on 13 October 2023.

Urban and environmental planner Haydee Jacklyn Quintana Malubay, who is a member of ISOCARP, represented the Philippines during the Congress and was the prime mover of the bid.

Earlier this year, Ms. Malubay submitted a unique proposal for the hosting of the Congress with the theme of “Adaptive Reutilization,” which involves repurposing unused or underutilized structures. The proposal showcases New Clark City, which is located in the towns of Bamban and Capas in Tarlac, for this planning principle. The bid to host the Congress was supported by the provincial government of Tarlac and the Central Luzon Regional Development Council led by Governor Susan A. Yap along with other groups in the Philippines.

“We have very unique and interesting planning challenges given our geology and geography - being in the Pacific Ring of Fire and the typhoon belt. Our resilience adds to the beauty of our country and the warmth of our people. As our Champion for the bid, Governor Yap is fully committed to this exciting initiative, cognizant of the value and the momentum it will generate, not only for her region and our country, but for the eastern part of the world, and the global south,” Ms. Malubay said during her remarks.

Shortlisted for the hosting of the Congress in 2024 along with New Clark City, Philippines were Cairo, Egypt; Sienna, Italy; Suwon, South Korea; and Ondo, Nigeria.

ISOCARP is based in The Hague, The Netherlands and has international institutional and individual membership coming from more than 90 countries. Its annual Congress, which is held in a different city every year, addresses vital topics in the field of city and regional planning such as urban regeneration, planning for land and water, creative economy and low carbon cities. END

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  Deputy Consul General Kerwin Orville Tate gives a brief lecture on the photo exhibit to dual citizenship applicants.

25 September 2023, Toronto – The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, in celebration of the Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA MO) 2023, opened a photo exhibit entitled “Archipelagic States: Identity, Consciousness, and Law” curated by the Philippine Mission to the UN in New York and the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. The photo exhibit, which is located in the consular area, is intended to promote awareness among the public on the arbitral award and the Philippine Archipelagic identity, including the historical, cultural, and legal dimensions.

During the opening, Consul General Angelica C. Escalona emphasized that the Philippines is rich in marine resources such as fisheries, coral reefs and mangroves and that it is the responsibility of every Filipino to protect the country’s maritime interests. “Lahat tayo ay may responsibilidad na protektahan ang yamang-dagat ng Pilipinas. Even if you are overseas, it affects you as the depletion of marine resources will affect your families back home,” Consul General Escalona said.

Clients of the Consulate General have expressed appreciation for the photo exhibit, with one client saying , “this photo exhibit gives us a better appreciation of what is at stake for the Philippines, especially in the West Philippine Sea, and how the Filipinos here in Canada can help to safeguard our interest in the area.”

The public may still view the photo exhibit at the Consulate until the end of October 2023. END

Deputy Consul General Tate discusses with two consular clients the significance of one of the photos in the exhibit. In the background is the Velarde map, which was first published in 1734 and is also known as the “Mother of All Philippine Maps.” It shows that the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal are part of the Philippine territory.

Some of the photos in the exhibit in the processing area of the Consulate.

Consular clients reading the banner which provides a historical and legal overview of the PH contribution to the development of the Archipelagic Doctrine in UNCLOS.