2023 May 25

Filipino-Canadians and Non-Canadian Filipinos in Ontario, Canada warmly welcomed the good news of having a new  Philippine Consul General in Toronto.

She is Angelica C. Escalona. Consul General  A. C. Escalona took over the position of Orontes V. Castro, the former holder of the Philippine foreign service post in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The lady Consul General assumed the duties as head of the Philippine Consulate of the Republic of the Philippines on May 17, 2023.  ConGen Escalona is a career diplomat who joined the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs in 1996 as a foreign service officer. 

Ms. Escalona has held various positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs Home Office in Manila. She also worked in foreign service posts abroad that include assignments in Honolulu, Hawaii, Tokyo, Japan, and Jakarta, Indonesia.  Before her new diplomatic assignment in Toronto, Ms. Escalona served as Consul General of the Republic of the Philippines in Manado, Indonesia. 

In 1995, as a Monbusho scholar, Ms. Escalona graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Tsukuba. The Monbusho Scholarship is an academic scholarship offered by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The  University of Tsukuba, a top 10 Designated National University by the Japanese government, is a public research university located in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. She also obtained in 1999 a Master of Arts in Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University,  a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto “assists in the strengthening of economic and cultural ties between the Philippines and Canada.” The Consulate provides consular services in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Western Ontario, and the province of Manitoba. One of ConGen Escalona’s immediate outreach activities is a meet-and-greet engagement with Filipino Canadian community leaders and heads of professional, business, and social organizations in the Greater Toronto Area, scheduled on May 26, 2023, at the Philippine Consulate in Toronto. 

Tony San Juan, OCT