The Consulate General

The Consulate General is the Philippine Government’s official representative in Canada’s western and northwestern provinces. Headquartered in Vancouver, it exercises jurisdiction over the Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Honorary Consulates General in Edmonton and Calgary, which work under the supervision of the Consulate General in Vancouver, help provide public service to the Filipino community in Alberta.

The Philippine Consulate General was initially established as a Consulate in May 1956, with Consul Gautier F. Bisnar as head of post. It was then located at the top floor of Seymour Building at 855 Seymour Street, Vancouver, B.C. It was upgraded to a consulate general on 24 August 1962. From 1978 to April 1999, the consulate general was sited at Rooms 301-310 at the Rogers Building on 470 Granville Street.

On 1 May 1999, the office transferred to its present location at Suite 1405, 700 West Pender Street, a stone’s throw away from the Rogers Building, where it was housed for twenty-one years. The Consulate’s new location, Pender Place, is bordered by West Pender and Granville Streets and sits adjacent to the Pacific Center Shopping Mall.

Since the its establishment in 1956, the following Consuls and Consuls General have served as Head of Post for the period indicated beside their names:

Honourable Gautier F. Bisnar (1956-1962)
Honourable Francisco O. Oira (1962-1968)
Honourable Gautier F. Bisnar (1969-1971)
Honourable Jose Teodoro, Sr. (1971-1975)
Honourable Vicente Romero (1975-1984)
Honourable Luz del Mundo (1984-1986)
Honourable Rufino Martinez (1986-1990)
Honourable Eufronia Recaido (1990-1992)
Honourable Lourdes G. Morales (1992-1998)
Honourable Zenaida Tacorda-Rabago (1999-2005)

Presently, the Consulate General’s officer and staff complement is composed of:

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Minerva Jean A. Falcon Consul General

Consul General Falcon has been in the diplomatic service for over 30 years. Before coming to Vancouver as Consul General, she served as Ambassador to Germany, as Consul General in Hamburg, and as Ambassador to Turkey. She also served in various capacities in Australia, France, Spain and Hawaii.

A lawyer and member of the Philippine Bar Association, Consul General Falcon also studied International Relations at the Boston University.

In the Philippines, she headed the Legal Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs, and later headed the American Affairs Office.

As the Philippine Consul General based in Vancouver, she exercises consular jurisdiction over the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories.

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Consul Raul S. Hernandez

Before joining the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1993, Consul Hernandez worked with the private sector in the Philippines and Hong Kong. In the Home Office, he served at various times as Director at the Office of Middle Eastern and African Affairs, as Acting Director at the Office of European Affairs, and as Principal Assistant, then Assistant Director at the Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs.
His foreign assignments brought him back to Hong Kong and to The Hague, in the Netherlands.

Consul Hernandez earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at the Ateneo de Manila University. He took courses in the MBA program at the Asia International Open University in Macau SAR, China. He earned his Masters in National Security Administration (MNSA) degree from the National Defense College of the Philippines. He is also a graduate of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff Course. He holds the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Reserve Forces of the Philippine Marines.

He is married, with two children.

Consul Robespierre L. Bolivar

Prior to his assignment to the Consulate General, Consul Bolivar served as Executive Officer and as Chargé d’ Affaires, ad interim, at the Philippine Embassy in Moscow, Russia. Before joining the Philippine Foreign Service, Consul Bolivar taught at the De la Salle University in Manila. In the Department of Foreign Affairs, he served at the Office of Protocol, the Office of the Undersecretary for Policy and as Acting Director for Political Policy at the Office of Policy Planning and Coordination. He graduated from and studied for his master’s degree at the University of the Philippines. He also studied at the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii and attended various training programs on the law of the sea, peacekeeping and disaster mitigation. He is married to Maria Aurora, a microbiologist and former university professor.

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Map of downtown Vancouver. (click to enlarge)

Telephone numbers:
(604) 685-1619
(604) 685-7645

Fax numbers:
(604) 685-9945

E-mail:
vancouverpcg@telus.net