Advisories & News
Press Release
PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL OPENS PHOTO EXHIBIT ON THE PHILIPPINES’ ARCHIPELAGIC IDENTITY
2023-09-25
Deputy Consul General Kerwin Orville Tate gives a brief lecture on the photo exhibit to dual citizenship applicants.
25 September 2023, Toronto – The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, in celebration of the Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA MO) 2023, opened a photo exhibit entitled “Archipelagic States: Identity, Consciousness, and Law” curated by the Philippine Mission to the UN in New York and the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. The photo exhibit, which is located in the consular area, is intended to promote awareness among the public on the arbitral award and the Philippine Archipelagic identity, including the historical, cultural, and legal dimensions.
During the opening, Consul General Angelica C. Escalona emphasized that the Philippines is rich in marine resources such as fisheries, coral reefs and mangroves and that it is the responsibility of every Filipino to protect the country’s maritime interests. “Lahat tayo ay may responsibilidad na protektahan ang yamang-dagat ng Pilipinas. Even if you are overseas, it affects you as the depletion of marine resources will affect your families back home,” Consul General Escalona said.
Clients of the Consulate General have expressed appreciation for the photo exhibit, with one client saying , “this photo exhibit gives us a better appreciation of what is at stake for the Philippines, especially in the West Philippine Sea, and how the Filipinos here in Canada can help to safeguard our interest in the area.”
The public may still view the photo exhibit at the Consulate until the end of October 2023. END
Deputy Consul General Tate discusses with two consular clients the significance of one of the photos in the exhibit. In the background is the Velarde map, which was first published in 1734 and is also known as the “Mother of All Philippine Maps.” It shows that the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal are part of the Philippine territory.
Some of the photos in the exhibit in the processing area of the Consulate.
Consular clients reading the banner which provides a historical and legal overview of the PH contribution to the development of the Archipelagic Doctrine in UNCLOS.