PRESS RELEASE

Philippine Embassy, Canberra

1 Moonah Place, Yarralumla, ACT 2600
www.philembassy.org.au    *Tel. No. 02-6273-2535*

27 September 2026, BRISBANE – The Embassy of the Philippines in Canberra, with the support of the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Brisbane, successfully conducted the mobile consular mission in Brisbane, Queensland from 24 to 27 September 2026. The Embassy team included Vice Consul Angela Laurente, Ms. Mary Irene Sadang, Ms. Catherine Perez and Ms. Kathleen Salonga. Labor Attaché Melissa Mendizabal and Migrant Workers Office (MWO) Assistant Julienne Cavida also joined the team. Supported by Honorary Consul Sheryll Gabutero, the mobile consular mission offered essential services to the growing Filipino community in Queensland, alleviating the need for them to travel to Philippine Foreign Service Posts in Canberra, Sydney, or Melbourne. The Embassy processed 275 passport applications, administered the oath of allegiance to 87 Filipinos who reacquired their Filipino citizenship through the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003, and registered 104 overseas voters. MWO Canberra also processed 65 applications for Overseas Employment Certificates and 53 verification of work contracts for OFWs. According to the 2021 ABS Census, 73,805 people in Queensland reported Filipino ancestry, representing 1.4 per cent of the State's population. Of these, 51,529 were born in the Philippines. This makes Queensland the third State with the largest Filipino population in Australia. -END