Embassy of the Philippines, Paris

Diplomatic mission of the Philippines in France

Diplomatic mission

Embassy of the Philippines, Paris
Pasuguan ng Pilipinas sa Paris
Ambassade des Philippines à Paris

Location| Paris
Address| 4 Hameau de Boulainvilliers
Coordinates| 48°51′14.5″N 2°16′30.1″E﻿ / ﻿48.854028°N 2.275028°E﻿ / 48.854028; 2.275028
Ambassador| Junever M. Mahilum-West
Website| parispe.dfa.gov.ph

The embassy of the Philippines in Paris (Filipino: Pasaguan ng Pilipinas sa Paris, French: Ambassade des Philippines à Paris) is the diplomatic mission of the Philippines to France.

## History

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Diplomatic relations between the Philippines and France were established on June 26, 1947,[1] nearly a year after the Philippines obtained its independence from the United States. Plans for opening a diplomatic mission in France were discussed as early as 1949, when the cabinet of President Elpidio Quirino discussed its feasibility, although funds had already been allocated for this purpose over the previous two years.[2] On January 5, 1951, Quirino signed Executive Order No. 351, opening a legation in Paris under the ultimate jurisdiction of the Philippine embassy in Madrid,[3] and headed by former Senator Proceso Sebastián.[4]

The legation was upgraded to a full embassy in 1955, with Salvador P. Lopez, who would later become the secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), becoming the mission's first ambassador.[4] Lopez would present his credentials to president René Coty on May 9, 1955,[5] and later in his tenure the Embassy's jurisdiction would expand to include UNESCO, with Lopez being named as the Philippines' first permanent representative to the agency on May 29, 1958.[6]

## Building

[edit]

The chancery of the Philippine Embassy in Paris is in a 19th-century pleasure house (maison d'agrément) on Hameau de Boulainvilliers,[7] which also has an adjacent entrance on Rue de Ranelagh.[8] Originally part of the former Château de Boulainvilliers [fr],[7] the chancery is beside the birthplace of tennis player Suzanne Lenglen.[9]

The building's age means that the chancery requires regular maintenance: in 2005, Preciosa Soliven, wife of Philippine Star publisher Max Soliven, wrote in a column that the chancery's basement regularly suffered from flooding due to a lack of funds.[10] A four-part renovation program was later effected during the ambassadorship of Cristina G. Ortega, with the DFA entering into an agreement with local construction company ABR-Vici Bâtiment on October 18, 2013, to renovate the chancery's public-facing areas.[11] The newly renovated consular section was later inaugurated by Ortega, alongside Embassy staff and members of the local community, on January 26, 2014.[12] A second renovation, costing the Philippine government ₱10.5 million,[13] would be effected in 2019 under Ortega's successor, Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, with the chancery being retrofitted to better accommodate women and persons with disabilities.[14]

Before occupying the present-day chancery, in the 1980s the embassy was on the Place Vendôme in the 1st arrondissement,[15] occupying the former Hôtel de Nocé.[16] The ambassadorial residence, meanwhile, was a leased apartment on Avenue Foch selected by then-First Lady Imelda Marcos.[10]

## Staff and activities

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The embassy is headed by ambassador Junever M. Mahilum-West, who was appointed to the position by president Rodrigo Duterte on August 6, 2021.[17] Prior to becoming Ambassador, Mahilum-West, a career diplomat, served as the DFA's assistant secretary for ASEAN Affairs,[18] and prior to that headed the Philippine Embassy in Amman as ambassador to Jordan after serving as Consul General at the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto.[19] Her appointment was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments on September 1, 2021,[20] and she presented her credentials to president Emmanuel Macron on November 2, 2021, 26 years after being assigned to the Embassy for her first overseas assignment as its second secretary.[21]

Notable diplomats who had been deployed to the embassy as ambassadors to France include Luis Moreno Salcedo, who was ambassador from 1969 to 1979, and Rosario G. Manalo, who would serve from 1990 to 1994.[1] Before her death due to COVID-19 amid a pandemic of the disease, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. had promised Bernardita Catalla, at the time serving at the Philippine embassy in Beirut, that he would lobby for her to be appointed as ambassador to France for her next assignment as an incentive to stay on as ambassador to Lebanon.[22]

The embassy is one of the Philippines' largest missions,[23] and many of its activities are connected to deepening and strengthening the deep cultural and economic ties between the Philippines and France.[24] Among its activities include celebrating the Fête de la Musique with Filipino musicians,[25] showcasing Philippine industrial design,[26] promoting Filipino animated short films,[27] and organizing an exhibit of pre-Hispanic artifacts at the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac.[28] In addition to these activities, the embassy also conducts activities for and promoting the large community of Filipinos in France, such as organizing a retrospective on the art and career of France-based Filipino artist Macario Vitalis.[29]

In addition to France, the embassy has jurisdiction over Monaco, where it maintains an honorary consulate.[30]

## See also

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* France–Philippines relations
* Filipinos in France
* List of diplomatic missions of the Philippines

## References

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1. ^ a b "The Embassy". Embassy of the Philippines, Paris. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
2. ^ "Official Month in Review: June 1949". Official Gazette. Retrieved September 12, 2022. "Views were also exchanged among the Cabinet men on the advisability of establishing a Philippine Legation in Paris which has been provided in the budget during the last two fiscal years."
3. ^ "Executive Order No. 397, s. 1951". Official Gazette. January 5, 1951. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
4. ^ a b Mendiola-Rau 2019, p. 206.
5. ^ Mendiola-Rau 2019, p. 207.
6. ^ "Official Month in Review: May 16 – May 31, 1958". Official Gazette. Retrieved September 12, 2022. "PRESIDENT Garcia this day designated Ambassador Salvador P, Lopes  [sic] as permanent representative of this country to the UNESCO in Paris in order to effect a more effective presentation of the, policies of the Philippine Government in that body."
7. ^ a b Rochegude 1910, p. 78.
8. ^ Rochegude 1910, p. 67.
9. ^ Clerici 1984.
10. ^ a b Soliven, Preciosa S. (October 2, 2005). "PHILIPPINE EMBASSIES IN HERITAGE HOUSES". The Philippine Star. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
11. ^ "Phl Embassy Signs Contract for Renovation and Repair of Chancery, Consular Section in Paris" (Press release). Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. October 23, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
12. ^ "Inauguration of the Newly Renovated Chancery" (Press release). Embassy of the Philippines, Paris. January 26, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
13. ^ "Chapter 19: Accelerating Infrastructure Development" (PDF). List of Priority Programs and Projects in the 2017–2022 Public Investment Programs (PIP) (Report). National Economic and Development Authority. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
14. ^ "Philippine Embassy in Paris Undertakes Structural Improvements at Chancery for Female Clients/Employees" (Press release). Embassy of the Philippines, Paris. December 2, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
15. ^ Cans, Roger (March 16, 1985). "Les Philippines en s'arrêtant à Palawan" [The Philippines, stopping in Palawan]. Le Monde (in French). p. Loisirs II. Retrieved September 13, 2022 - via the Internet Archive.
16. ^ "Ancien hôtel de Nocé, actuellement ambassade des Philippines" [Old Hôtel de Nocé, currently the Embassy of the Philippines] (in French). Ministry of Culture of France. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
17. ^ ACTION: CONFIRMED – Appointment From June 4, 2021 To June 13, 2022 (PDF) (Report). Commission on Appointments. p. 2. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
18. ^ Regalado, Edith (October 29, 2019). "Sea code of conduct to be raised at ASEAN". The Philippine Star. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
19. ^ Roque, Marisa (March 12, 2015). "Filipinos in Toronto honor consul named envoy to Jordan". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
20. ^ Fernandez, Danisa (September 1, 2021). "8 envoys, 12 DFA execs get CA's nod". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
21. ^ Quismorio, Ellson (November 8, 2021). "PH envoy to France foresees expanded cooperation between two countries". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
22. ^ Viray, Patricia Lourdes (April 2, 2020). "'Her smile, laughter will be a guiding light': Philippine envoy in Lebanon succumbs to COVID-19". The Philippine Star. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
23. ^ Maceda, Ernesto M. (March 1, 2011). "Unprepared, disorganized". The Philippine Star. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
24. ^ Boccoz, Michèle (June 26, 2022). "The Philippines and France: 75 years of friendship". The Philippine Star. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
25. ^ "Music and diplomacy". Manila Bulletin. July 2, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
26. ^ "Paris puts Philippine design in spotlight". Manila Bulletin. September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
27. ^ Tomada, Nathalie (October 14, 2017). "Pinoy animation to be showcased in France". The Philippine Star. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
28. ^ Sobrepeña, Anna C. (May 15, 2013). "Philippine exhibit in Paris draws raves, makes front-page news". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
29. ^ "A Filipino painter in France". Manila Bulletin. April 23, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
30. ^ Litton, Johnny (November 2, 2002). "High Art for Higher Cause". The Philippine Star. Retrieved September 13, 2022.

### Bibliography

[edit]

* Mendiola-Rau, Aileen S., ed. (2019). The Philippines and France: Discovery, Rediscovery. Embassy of the Philippines, Paris. ISBN 978-2-9564741-1-1 - via Issuu.
* Rochegude, Félix (1910). Promenades dans toutes les rues de Paris [Journeys Through All the Streets of Paris] (in French). Vol. XVI. Hachette - via the Internet Archive.
* Clerici, Gianni (1984). Suzanne Lenglen : la diva du tennis [Suzanne Lenglen: The Diva of Tennis] (in French). Rochevignes. ISBN 9782307218319 - via Google Books.

## External links

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* Official website of the Philippine Embassy in Paris Archived August 31, 2022, at the Wayback Machine

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