The Philippine Consulate in Vancouver was established in May 1956, the very first Philippine foreign service post in Canada, with Consul Gautier F. Bisnar as Head of Post. The Consulate in Vancouver remained as the Philippines’ lone diplomatic and consular office covering the whole of Canada until the establishment of the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa in 1971. It was upgraded to a Consulate General on 24 August 1962. Hon. Francisco O. Oira served as the first Consul General from 17 December 1962 until 03 August 1968.
Consul General Oira was succeeded by the following Consuls General:
Hon. Gauttier F. Bisnar - 02 December 1968 - May 1971
Hon. Jose Teodoro, Jr. - 01 June 1971-04 July 1975
Hon. Vicente Romero - 07 January 1976-15 August 1984
Hon. Luz del Mundo - 1984-1988
Hon. Rufino Martinez - 18 July 1988-May 1990
Hon. Eufronia M. Recaido - 07 May 1990-June 1992
Hon. Lourdes G. Morales - 24 June 1992-02 July 1998
Hon. Zenaida T. Rabago - 18 July 1999-21 August 2005
Hon. Minerva Jean A. Falcon- 15 October 2005-10 March 2007
Hon. Ruth Morales Prado - 24 June 2007-2010
Hon. Jose A.P. Ampeso - 16 June 2011-30 September 2013
Hon. Neil Frank R. Ferrer - 09 October 2013-Present
The Consulate General in Vancouver commemorated its 60th anniversary of establishment on 21 May 2016.
The Consulate General has jurisdiction over British Columbia, Yukon and Northwest Territories.
The Consulate General moved to its current address at Suite 660, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver in August 2014 after fifteen years of holding an office space on the 14 th floor of the Pacific Centre, 700 West Pender Street, Vancouver.
Presently, the Consulate General's officers are:
Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer
Consul General Ferrer is a career diplomat of the Republic of the Philippines, who has served in various capacities at the Embassy of the Philippines in Beijing, London and Ottawa, respectively.
He has extensive experience in multilateral work, having served as Alternate Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London and to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal.
Mr. Ferrer was former Chairman of the Maritime Safety Committee, the senior technical body of the IMO.
He was also the President of the 2010 IMO Diplomatic Conference of Parties to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.
Mr. Ferrer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of the Philippines and has completed the course work of the Master of Science in Economics from De La Salle University in the Philippines.
He obtained a Master of Arts in International Boundaries, with Distinction, from the University of Durham in the United Kingdom.
Consul General Ferrer is recipient of the Gawad Mabini award with the rank of Dakilang Kamanong (Grand Cross) conferred by the President of the Republic of the Philippines in 2010.
He is married to Miriam Manaog and they have four children.
Deputy Consul General Leo Tito L. Ausan, Jr.
DCG Leo, as he is fondly/wishes to be called, is a practicing lawyer-turned- diplomat. He comes from the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, where he served as Acting Assistant Secretary/Executive Director of the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) (2016-2017) and Executive Director for the Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office (MOAO) (2015-2016).
Prior to Vancouver, DCG Leo’s foreign postings include having been Consul General and Consul at the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2008-2015); 2nd Secretary and Consul at the Philippine Embassy in Berlin (2002-2004), Germany; and 3rd Secretary and Vice Consul/Consul at the Philippine Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa (1998-2002). In Jeddah, DCG Leo for most of the time headed the Political and Economic Section and the Special Concerns Section (which handled potential death penalty and special assistance-to-nationals cases; repatriations en masse, overseas voting, etc.)
DCG Leo joined the DFA as a career Foreign Service Officer (FSO) on 1 August 1996 after placing 3rd in the 1995 FSO Examinations. He brought into the Department, a solid educational and experiential background in political science and law. He finished his Bachelor of Arts, Major in Political Science, cum laude from the Central Philippine University, Jaro, Iloilo City and his Bachelor of Laws from the University of the Philippines College of Law, Diliman, Quezon City. After passing the bar examinations in 1988, he practiced law and lectured/reviewed in criminal law and other law subjects before joining the Philippine foreign service corps. His law practice then encompassed court litigation, service in the judicial branch, legal counselling for clients that included government institutions, i.e. University of the Philippines in the Visayas and active directorship in the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Iloilo Chapter.
DCG Leo obtained his Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Maritime Law (2005-2006) at the International Maritime Organization’s International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) in Malta.
He is married to Agnes M. Brazas of Zarraga, Iloilo, with whom he has two (2) young children – Agnesette Marie, a 31 year old fashion designer daughter and Carlyle Leo, a 29 year old IT specialist son.
Consul Arlene T. Magno
Consul Arlene T. Magno is a second-generation diplomat who began her career with the Department in 1997, after passing the Foreign Service Officers' examination. Since then, she has held positions as Principal Assistant and Assistant Director of the US Division (1998-2000) at the Office of American Affairs and Director of the Personnel Management Division (2007-2009) of the Office of Personnel and Administrative Services (now Human Resource Management Office) at the Home Office in Manila.
Her previous foreign assignments were at the Philippine Embassy in Brunei Darussalam (2000-2007) and the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. (2009-2015). Before coming to Vancouver, Consul Magno was Director of the Canada Division in the Office of American Affairs.
Prior to joining the Department, Consul Magno worked at the Philippine National Bank for nine years and the Foreign Service Institute, the Department's training arm, for four years.
Consul Magno has a degree in AB Economics and Master's in Public Administration, both from the University of the Philippines. She is married to Edwin Lester Magno and together they have two children, Jen David and Kira Gwendolyn.
Vice Consul Ma. Charmaine D. Guevara
Ms. Ma. Charmaine D. Guevara is currently designated as Vice Consul at the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, B.C. She assumed her post on 23 February 2015.
Before her foreign assignment, Ms. Guevara worked as Acting Director at the Office of United Nations and International Organizations (UNIO) at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila. She handled multilateral issues such as economic development and governance, which included Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), trade and industry, finance, agriculture and commodities, tourism, as well as environmental issues, which included climate change, disaster risk reduction and management, energy security, among others.
Ms. Guevara holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, cum laude, from the University of the Philippines. She has also completed the coursework for a Master in Business Administration – Regis Program from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business where she was a consistent Dean’s lister, and is a recipient of a post-graduate diploma from the Asian Institute of Management with her completion of the Business Leadership Program under the institute’s executive development arm, EXCELL.
In 2012-2013, Ms. Guevara attended the Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Management in Seoul, Republic of Korea where she obtained a Master of Development Policy, magna cum laude. Her degree concentration was on development policy-making, global governance and political economy.
Prior to joining the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Guevara worked in the private sector. Her work experience includes stints with a Japanese government-related organization that works to promote mutual trade and investment; a top global pharmaceutical research and sales corporation; and a national industry organization that serves the trade and export promotions requirements of micro-small-to-medium size Filipino export firms.
