Embassy of the Philippines, Mexico City

The Embassy of the Philippines in Mexico City is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Mexican States. It is currently at Avenida Thiers 111 in Colonia Anzures, part of the alcaldía (municipality) of Miguel Hidalgo in northwestern Mexico City.

Embassy of the Philippines, Mexico City
Pasuguan ng Pilipinas sa Lungsod ng Mehiko
LocationMexico City
AddressAvenida Thiers 111, Colonia Anzures, Delegación Miguel Hidalgo
Coordinates19°25′59.9″N 99°10′41.4″W
AmbassadorDemetrio R. Tuason
Websitehttp://mexicope.dfa.gov.ph

History

The Philippines first opened a diplomatic mission in Mexico with the opening of a legation on April 23, 1953, shortly after the two countries established full diplomatic relations, with Mariano Espeleta serving as the mission's first minister. It was upgraded to a full embassy in 1960, with Octavio L. Maloles becoming the first resident Philippine ambassador after presenting his credentials to President Adolfo López Mateos on September 12, 1961.[1]

After a massive expansion of the Philippines' diplomatic presence abroad during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in 2010 Senator Franklin Drilon questioned the need for embassies in countries with small Filipino communities, and called for a review of the Philippines' diplomatic presence worldwide.[2] This would lead to the closure of ten posts under Arroyo's successor, Benigno Aquino III, and ultimately to the closure of the embassies in Havana and Caracas by October 31, 2012.[3] The Embassy's jurisdiction, which at the time consisted only of Mexico and Central America, was expanded in 2013 to include Cuba, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic to account for the closure of both posts,[4] although jurisdiction over Venezuela was subsequently transferred to the Philippine Embassy in Brasília.[5]

The Embassy's chancery, at the time occupying the first two stories of an eight-story building in the centrally-located Delegación Cuauhtémoc, was badly damaged in the 2017 Puebla earthquake,[6] requiring it to temporarily operate from the ambassadorial residence as it was vacated.[7] The current chancery was formally opened on March 14, 2018, coinciding with the Embassy's official celebrations for International Women's Day.[8]

Staff and activities

The Philippine Embassy in Mexico City is currently headed by Ambassador Demetrio R. Tuason, who was appointed to the position by President Rodrigo Duterte on November 27, 2017. Prior to becoming Ambassador, Tuason, a businessman, was chairman emeritus of the Arms Corporation of the Philippines (Armscor).[9] His appointment was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments a week later on December 5, 2017.[10]

Many of the Embassy's activities center around promoting the deep cultural ties between the Philippines and Mexico. These included exhibiting the paintings of Filipino painter Manuel Baldemor at the Fort of San Diego in Acapulco,[11] hosting a book launch on the cultural relations between the two countries in 2017,[12] organizing events surrounding the centennial of Philippine cinema at the 2019 Guanajuato International Film Festival,[13] and supporting a master class on Filipino cuisine at the Mexico City campus of Le Cordon Bleu.[14] Some of these activities, such as celebrating the Manila galleon trade, are directly related to the history of both countries as former Spanish colonies,[15] with at least three ambassadors having made courtesy calls to the mayor of Acapulco as a result.[16][17][18]

Aside from promoting ties between the Philippines and Mexico, like other missions the Embassy also provides assistance to Filipinos within its jurisdiction, whether resident or visiting. It has offered to evacuate and repatriate Filipinos in Venezuela and Nicaragua when those countries experienced unrest,[19][20] while also offering assistance to Filipinos potentially affected by the 2018 Volcán de Fuego eruption in Guatemala,[21] and facilitating the visit of Filipino delegates attending the 2019 World Youth Day in Panama with a hotline specifically designated for their use.[22]

The jurisdiction of the Embassy is expected to change with the opening of new missions within Central America, namely the future reopening of the embassy in Havana,[23] and the possible opening of an embassy in Panama City.[24]

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gollark: Look at the "color rendering index"?
gollark: If I remember the thermal energy formula right, then it's proportional to mass and the bigger one has more.
gollark: For now anyway.
gollark: How is a car more convenient than trains? You have to manually drive it.

See also

References
  1. "The Embassy". Embassy of the Philippines, Mexico, Mexico. Department of Foreign Affairs. May 8, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  2. Ager, Maila (October 20, 2010). "Review sought over number of RP embassies". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. Archived from the original on October 23, 2010. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  3. Del Callar, Michaela (September 4, 2012). "DFA shuts down five overseas posts, with five more to close this year". GMA News and Public Affairs. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  4. Ubac, Michael Lim (July 27, 2013). "9 appointed to foreign posts; turf of envoy to US widened". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  5. Esmaquel II, Paterno (February 21, 2018). "CA confirms envoys to Vatican, UAE, 5 other countries". Rappler. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  6. Viray, Patricia Lourdes (September 20, 2017). "No Filipino casualties in Mexico quake; embassy damaged". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  7. "PHL Embassy in Mexico Unfazed, Continues to Operate Despite Damage Caused by Earthquake" (Press release). Department of Foreign Affairs. October 4, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  8. "PHL Embassy Officers and Staff Welcome Filipino Community at Blessing of New Chancery" (Press release). Department of Foreign Affairs. March 14, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  9. Ballaran, Jhoanna (December 5, 2017). "Duterte appoints envoys to Mexico, New Zealand, WTO". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  10. Sy, Marvin (December 6, 2017). "Duterte appoints envoys to Mexico, New Zealand, WTO". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  11. "Exhiben obra de pintor filipino en el Fuerte de San Diego de Acapulco" [Filipino painter's works exhibited at the Fort of San Diego in Acapulco]. Bajo Palabra (in Spanish). October 8, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  12. Cassani, Emilio (March 3, 2017). "México y Filipinas. Culturas y memorias sobre el Pacífico" [Mexico and the Philippines: Cultures and memories of the Pacific]. La Jornada (in Spanish). Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  13. "PH Cinema Celebrates 100 Years in Biggest Int'l Film Festival in Mexico" (Press release). Film Development Council of the Philippines. July 19, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  14. "Mexico promotes Filipino cuisine". BusinessMirror. December 19, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  15. "Celebrating the 50th Manila-Acapulco anniversary". Daily Tribune. November 10, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  16. Velásquez Olea, Daniel (October 8, 2005). "Recibe el alcalde el embajador de Filipinas en México" [Mayor receives ambassador of the Philippines to Mexico]. El Sur (in Spanish). Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  17. "Da Luis Walton la bienvenida a Acapulco al Embajador de Filipinas" [Luis Walton gives Acapulco's welcome to the Ambassador of the Philippines] (Press release) (in Spanish). Citizens' Movement. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  18. "Recibe Adela Román la visita de funcionarios de la Embajada de Filipinas" [Adela Román receives the visit of functionaries of the Embassy of the Philippines]. El Sol de Chilpancingo (in Spanish). October 7, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  19. Orosa, Rosalinda L. (March 7, 2014). "Pinoys in Venezuela told: Prepare for evacuation". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  20. Esguerra, Anthony Q. (July 19, 2018). "DFA says it is ready to repatriate Filipinos in Nicaragua". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  21. Mabasa, Roy (June 5, 2018). "No Filipino among casualties reported in Guatemala volcano eruption — DFA". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  22. Marquez, Consuelo (January 17, 2019). "Philippine Embassy in Mexico to assist Filipino delegates for World Youth Day". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  23. Ramoran, Carol (February 23, 2019). "LOOK: Philippines marks 65th year of German ties with new model embassy". Rappler. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  24. Mercene, Recto (August 20, 2017). "Diplomat bridges distance by deepening Panama-PHL partnership". BusinessMirror. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
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