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.
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 November 2024 consists of 67 embassies, 28 consulates-general, 4 permanent missions to international organizations, and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei, and its 2 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 country's de facto embassy to Taiwan).
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 Philippine diplomatic mission 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] These closures have since been largely reversed under Aquino's successors, Rodrigo Duterte and Bongbong Marcos, with the 2019 reopening of the consulate general in Frankfurt,[15] the 2020 reopening of the consulate general in Barcelona,[16] and shortly thereafter the reopening of the embassy in Sweden.[17] In 2024, the embassies in Finland, Ireland and Romania reopened after funding to reopen them was approved by Congress, alongside the future reopening of the embassy in Cuba.[18] Even missions closed years earlier were reopened, such as the 2018 reopening of the consulate general in Houston 25 years after it was last closed.[19]
Aquino's successors have generally returned to an expansion of the Philippines' diplomatic presence abroad, including the opening of new missions where they did not exist previously. Under Duterte, the Philippines opened its embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark on January 14, 2019, the first new embassy to open since 2012,[20] while the first new consulate to open since 2012 opened in Nagoya, Japan on December 1, 2020.[21] Under Bongbong Marcos, the first new mission to open during his presidency is the embassy in Bogotá, Colombia in 2024.[22] Other missions likely to be opened include new embassies in Ethiopia,[23] Kazakhstan,[23] Panama,[24] and Ukraine,[25] as well as the reopening of embassies in Palau and Peru.[23][26]
Host country | Host city | Mission | Head of mission | Concurrent accreditation | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Egypt | Cairo | Embassy | Ezzedin H. Tago | [27][28] | |
Kenya | Nairobi | Embassy | Marie Charlotte G. Tang | Countries: International Organizations: |
[29][30] |
Libya | Tripoli | Embassy | Alan Roi Q. Gabriola Chargé d'Affaires, e.p. |
[31][32] | |
Morocco | Rabat | Embassy | Leslie J. Baja | Countries: |
[33] |
Nigeria | Abuja | Embassy | Mersole J. Mellejor | [34][35] | |
South Africa | Pretoria | Embassy | Noralyn J. Baja | Countries: |
[36][37] |
Host country | Host city | Mission | Head of mission | Concurrent accreditation | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Argentina | Buenos Aires | Embassy | Grace T. Cruz-Fabella | [38][39] | |
Brazil | Brasília | Embassy | Joseph Gerard B. Angeles | [40][41] | |
Canada | Ottawa | Embassy | Maria Andrelita S. Austria | International Organizations: |
[42][43] |
Calgary | Consulate-General | Emma R. Sarne | [42][44] | ||
Toronto | Consulate-General | Angelica C. Escalona | [42][45][46] | ||
Vancouver | Consulate-General | Arlene T. Magno | [42][47][48] | ||
Chile | Santiago de Chile | Embassy | Celeste S. Vinzon-Balatbat | Countries: |
[49][50] |
Colombia | Bogotá | Embassy | Judy B. Razon Chargée d'Affaires, a.i. |
||
Mexico | Mexico City | Embassy | Lilybeth R. Deapera | [51][52] | |
United States | Washington, D.C. | Embassy | Jose Manuel G. Romualdez | Countries: International Organizations: |
[53][54][55] |
Chicago | Consulate-General | J. Susana V. Paez | [53][56][57] | ||
Hagåtña, Guam | Consulate-General | Rosario P. Lemque | [53][58][59] | ||
Honolulu | Consulate-General | Pamela Durian-Bailon Acting Head of Post |
[53][60] | ||
Houston | Consulate-General | Gunther Emil M. Sales | [53][61] | ||
Los Angeles | Consulate-General | Maria Alnee A. Gamble Acting Head of Post |
[53][62] | ||
New York City | Consulate-General | Senen T. Mangalile | [53][63][64] | ||
San Francisco | Consulate-General | Neil Frank R. Ferrer | [53][65] |
Host country | Host city | Mission | Head of mission | Concurrent accreditation | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bahrain | Manama | Embassy | Anne Jalando-on Louis | [66][67] | |
Bangladesh | Dhaka | Embassy | Leo Tito L. Ausan Jr. | [68][69] | |
Brunei | Bandar Seri Begawan | Embassy | Marian Jocelyn T. Ignacio | [70][71] | |
Cambodia | Phnom Penh | Embassy | Flerida Ann Camille P. Mayo | [72][73] | |
China | Beijing | Embassy | Jaime A. FlorCruz | Countries: |
[74][75][76] |
Chongqing | Consulate-General | Ivan Frank M. Olea | [74][77] | ||
Guangzhou | Consulate-General | Marshall Louis M. Alferez | [74][78] | ||
Hong Kong | Consulate-General | Raly L. Tejada | [74][79] | ||
Macau | Consulate-General | Porfirio M. Mayo Jr. | [74][80] | ||
Shanghai | Consulate-General | Dinno M. Oblena | [74][81] | ||
Xiamen | Consulate-General | Maria Antonina M. Oblena | [74][82] | ||
East Timor | Dili | Embassy | Belinda M. Ante | [83][84] | |
India | New Delhi | Embassy | Josel F. Ignacio | [85][86][87] | |
Indonesia | Jakarta | Embassy | Gina A. Jamoralin | [88] | |
Manado | Consulate-General | Mary Jennifer Domingo Dingal | [88][89] | ||
Iran | Tehran | Embassy | Roberto G. Manalo | Countries: |
[90][91] |
Iraq | Baghdad | Embassy | Christopher P. Castillo Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. |
[92] | |
Israel | Tel Aviv | Embassy | Pedro R. Laylo Jr. | [93][94] | |
Japan | Tokyo | Embassy | Mylene J. Garcia-Albano | Countries: |
[95][96][97] |
Nagoya | Consulate-General | Roy B. Ecraela | [95] | ||
Osaka | Consulate-General | Voltaire D. Mauricio | [95][98] | ||
Jordan | Amman | Embassy | Wilfredo C. Santos | Countries: |
[99][100] |
Kuwait | Kuwait City | Embassy | Jose A. Cabrera III | [101][102] | |
Laos | Vientiane | Embassy | Deena Joy D. Amatong | [103][104] | |
Lebanon | Beirut | Embassy | Raymond R. Balatbat | [105][106] | |
Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | Embassy | Maria Angela A. Ponce | [107][108][109] | |
Myanmar | Yangon | Embassy | Enrique Voltaire G. Pingol Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. |
[110][111] | |
Oman | Muscat | Embassy | Raul S. Hernandez | [112][113] | |
Pakistan | Islamabad | Embassy | Maria Agnes M. Cervantes | Countries: |
[114][115] |
Qatar | Doha | Embassy | Lilibeth V. Pono | [116][117] | |
Republic of China (Taiwan)[c] | Taipei | Economic & Cultural Office | Cheloy E. Velicaria-Garafil Chairperson & Resident Representative |
[118] | |
Kaohsiung | Extension office | [118] | |||
Taichung | Extension office | [118] | |||
Saudi Arabia | Riyadh | Embassy | Rommel A. Romato Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. |
Countries: |
[119][120] |
Jeddah | Consulate-General | Edgar Tomas Q. Auxilian | [119][121] | ||
Singapore | Singapore | Embassy | Medardo G. Macaraig | [122][123] | |
South Korea | Seoul | Embassy | Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-de Vega | [124][125][126] | |
Syria | Damascus | Embassy | John G. Reyes Chargé d'Affaires, e.p. |
[127] | |
Thailand | Bangkok | Embassy | Millicent Cruz-Paredes | [128][129] | |
Turkey | Ankara | Embassy | Henry S. Bensurto Jr. | Countries: |
[130][131] |
Istanbul | Consulate-General | Shirlene C. Mananquil | [130] | ||
United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi | Embassy | Alfonso A. Ver | International Organizations: |
[132][133] |
Dubai | Consulate-General | Renato N. Dueñas Jr. | [133][134] | ||
Vietnam | Hanoi | Embassy | Meynardo L.B. Montealegre | [135][136] |
Host country | Host city | Mission | Head of mission | Concurrent accreditation | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Austria | Vienna | Embassy | Evangelina Lourdes A. Bernas | International Organizations: |
[137][138][139] |
Belgium | Brussels | Embassy | Jaime Victor B. Ledda | Countries: International Organizations: |
[140][141] |
Czech Republic | Prague | Embassy | Eduardo Martin R. Meñez | [142] | |
Denmark | Copenhagen | Embassy | Leo M. Herrera-Lim | [143] | |
Finland | Helsinki | Embassy | Ana Clariza P. Briones Chargée d'Affaires, a.i. |
||
France | Paris | Embassy | Junever M. Mahilum-West | Countries: International Organizations: |
[144][145] |
Germany | Berlin | Embassy | Irene Susan B. Natividad | [146][147] | |
Frankfurt | Consulate-General | Marie Yvette L. Banzon-Abalos | [146][148][149] | ||
Greece | Athens | Embassy | Giovanni E. Palec | Countries: |
[150][151] |
Holy See[d] | Rome | Embassy | Myla Grace Ragenia C. Macahilig | Sovereign entity: |
[152] |
Hungary | Budapest | Embassy | Frank R. Cimafranca | Countries: |
[153][154] |
Ireland | Dublin | Embassy | Eric R. Aquino Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. |
[155] | |
Italy | Rome | Embassy | Nathaniel G. Imperial | Countries: International Organizations: |
[156][157] |
Milan | Consulate-General | Elmer G. Cato | [156][158] | ||
Netherlands | The Hague | Embassy | J. Eduardo E. Malaya III | International Organizations: |
[159][160][161] |
Norway | Oslo | Embassy | Enrico T. Fos | Countries: |
[162][163] |
Poland | Warsaw | Embassy | Leah B. Ruiz | [164][165] | |
Portugal | Lisbon | Embassy | Paul Raymund P. Cortes | Countries: |
[166][167] |
Romania | Bucharest | Embassy | Siegfred T. Masangkay Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. |
||
Russia | Moscow | Embassy | Igor G. Bailen | Countries: |
[168][169] |
Spain | Madrid | Embassy | Philippe J. Lhuillier | Countries: International Organizations: |
[170][171][172] |
Barcelona | Consulate-General | Ma. Therese S.M. Lázaro | [170][173] | ||
Sweden | Stockholm | Embassy | Maria Lumen B. Isleta | [17] | |
Switzerland | Bern | Embassy | Bernard F. Dy | Countries: |
[174][175] |
Geneva | Consulate-General | Felipe Carino III | [175] | ||
United Kingdom | London | Embassy | Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. | International Organizations: |
[176] |
Host country | Host city | Mission | Head of mission | Concurrent accreditation | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | Canberra | Embassy | Ma. Hellen Barber de la Vega | [177][178] | |
Melbourne | Consulate-General | Maria Lourdes M. Salcedo | [177][179] | ||
Sydney | Consulate-General | Charmaine Rowena C. Aviquivil | [177][180] | ||
New Zealand | Wellington | Embassy | Kira Christianne D. Azucena | Countries: |
[181][182] |
Papua New Guinea | Port Moresby | Embassy | Ariz Severino V. Convalecer Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. |
Countries: |
[183] |
Organization | Host city | Host country | Mission | Head of mission | Concurrent accreditation | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Association of Southeast Asian Nations | Jakarta | Indonesia | Permanent Mission | Hjayceelyn M. Quintana | [184][185] | |
United Nations | New York City | United States | Permanent Mission | Antonio M. Lagdameo | International Organizations: |
[186][187] |
Geneva | Switzerland | Permanent Mission | Carlos D. Sorreta | [185] | ||
World Trade Organization | Geneva | Switzerland | Permanent Mission | Manuel Antonio J. Teehankee | [185][188] |
Host country | Host city | Mission | Year closed | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gabon | Libreville | Embassy | Unknown | [189][failed verification] |
Madagascar | Antananarivo | Embassy | Unknown | [8] |
Senegal | Dakar | Embassy | 1993 | [190] |
Host country | Host city | Mission | Year closed | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | Winnipeg | Consulate-General | 1985 | [191] |
Cuba | Havana | Embassy | 2012 | [14] |
Peru | Lima | Embassy | 1993 | [190] |
United States | New Orleans | Consulate-General | 1985 | [191] |
Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands | Consulate-General | 2012 | [14] | |
Seattle | Consulate-General | Unknown | [8][192] | |
Venezuela | Caracas | Embassy | 2012 | [14] |
Host country | Host city | Mission | Year closed | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
South Vietnam[e] | Saigon | Embassy | 1975 | [193] |
Sri Lanka | Colombo | Embassy | 1993 | [194][190] |
Host country | Host city | Mission | Year closed | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
East Germany[f] | East Berlin | Embassy | 1990 | |
Germany | Bonn | Embassy extension office[g] | 2008 | [195] |
Hamburg | Consulate-General | 2009 | [196] | |
Yugoslavia | Belgrade | Embassy | 1992 | [197][198] |
Host country | Host city | Mission | Year closed | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Micronesia | Kolonia | Embassy | 1993 | [190] |
Palau | Koror | Embassy | 2012 | [14] |
Organization | Host city | Host country | Mission | Year closed | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
European Communities | Brussels | Belgium | Permanent Mission | 1985 | [191] |
UNESCO | Paris | France | Permanent Mission | 1985 | [191] |
Concerning quarters for the Philippine personnel for this Commission and others we may send in the future, will you kindly consider the possibility of housing them in the building formerly occupied by the Philippine Embassy and which has been purchased by the Puppet Republic?
Consistent with our new status as a Republic, we have organized a Foreign Affairs Department and a Foreign Service, and established an embassy at Washington and consular offices in a number of places abroad.
For our part, we have diplomatic establishments' in eight nations and consular representatives in seventeen cities. We have recently established Philippine legations in London, Rome, Madrid, Nanking, Buenos Aires and a special mission in Tokyo.
THE PHILIPPINES and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) established formal diplomatic relations it was announced by the Department of Foreign Affairs. The Philippine-East German agreement is the first of four contemplated agreements with socialist countries of Eastern Europe which the President had specifically instructed Secretary of Foreign Affairs Carlos P. Romulo to negotiate.
In 1993, the Philippines announced that it would close its consulates in a number of US cities. It also closed its embassies in Cuba, Jordan, Micronesia, Morocco, Peru, Poland, Romania, Senegal, and Sri Lanka.