Although diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Australia were established in May 1946, the Philippines did not establish a presence in the country until three years later, when Roberto Regala, at the time serving as Consul General at the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, being appointed by President Elpidio Quirino as consul to Australia on July 8, 1949. Regala's appointment was subsequently accepted by the Australian government a month later, and he was elevated to the rank of minister the following year. Despite there being a consul — and later minister — to Australia, the Philippines did not have a mission in Canberra; at the time, the country's interests were represented through the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney. For a time, the Consulate was upgraded to an embassy in 1956 with the naming of Jose Imperial as the first resident Philippine ambassador to Australia. The Embassy was then moved to Canberra in 1962, with Imperial's successor, Mariano Ezpeleta, becoming the first Philippine ambassador to reside in the city. The Embassy has seen itself become the subject of scandal in 2018, when the ABC News investigative program Four Corners found that a former ambassador to Australia had exploited a Filipino worker, and in 2020, when it had been accused on social media of calling in for questioning a certain person who had criticized President Rodrigo Duterte — a charge which it subsequently denied.
Building
The buildings of the Philippine Embassy in Canberra were designed by noted Filipino architect Federico Ilustre, who had also designed the chancery of the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi, alongside the Australian firm Moir and Slater. Construction began in 1962, and it was opened on Philippine Independence Day, June 12, 1964, with both the chancery and the ambassadorial residence being located within the same compound.
Staff and activities
The Philippine Embassy in Canberra is currently headed by Ambassador Ma. Hellen Barber de la Vega, who was appointed to the position by President Duterte on June 7, 2018. Prior to becoming Ambassador, de la Vega, a career diplomat, served as Assistant Secretary at the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of ASEAN Affairs, and prior to that headed the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles and the Philippine Embassy in Yangon. Her appointment was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments on August 15, 2018, and she presented her credentials to Governor General Peter Cosgrove on November 29, 2018. Notable diplomats who have been deployed to the Embassy as Ambassadors to Australia include Leticia Ramos Shahani, who would later become Senator, and future Foreign Affairs SecretaryDelia Albert. Many of the Embassy's activities center around fostering continuing relations between the Philippines and Australia, and in particular with respect to the more than 300,000 Filipino Australians. These include organizing a lecture on the discovery of Homo luzonensis, hosting the Loboc Children's Choir during its tour of Australia, and facilitating cultural exchanges between the two countries. It also works closely with Filipino communities and community organizations throughout Australia, particularly during natural disasters, and also works with government agencies in the Philippines to ensure the welfare of Filipinos coming to Australia.
