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About the Office

HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL IN LOS ANGELES

The Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles was established in March 1947 as an extension office of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco.  It was headed by Vice Consul Marcelo T. Boncan, a former member of the Philippine House of Representatives and Superior Court Judge.  He served as Vice Consul, and subsequently as Consul, until his death in July 1948.

Consul Boncan was succeeded by Consul Sofronio V. Abrera, a wartime guerilla leader and former Philippine Assembly member who was previously assigned as trade assistant of the Philippine Consulate General in New York.  Mr. Abrera was a Consul in Los Angeles until his assignment as Philippine Consul General in Chicago in 1954.

In October 1955, during the term of Consul General PEDRO G. RAMIREZ, the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles was elevated to a Consulate General by then President Ramon Magsaysay.   The Philippines was the seventeenth Consulate to elevate the status of its mission in Los Angeles, after Great Britain, Japan, Canada, France, China, Austria, Switzerland, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Thailand and Costa Rica. 

The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles is presently headed by its first female Consul General, Hon. Mary Jo A. Bernardo Aragon.

Below is a complete list of Philippine Consuls General in Los Angeles since 1954:

Head of Post Year
HON. PEDRO G. RAMIREZ 1954-1962
HON. ALEJANDRO F. HOLIGORES 1962-1967
HON. CARLOS A. FAUSTINO 1967-1970
HON. PACIFICO G. EVANGELISTA 1970-1976
HON. ARMANDO C. FERNANDEZ Jul 1977- May 1985
HON. LEOVIGILDO A. ANOLIN Jul 1985- Nov 1988
HON. LEONIDES T. CADAY Dec 1988 – Jan 1990
HON. VICTOR D.G. GARCIA III May 1990 – Jul 1993
HON. EMMANUEL C. FERNANDEZ Aug 1994 – June 1995
HON. JOSUE L. VILLA Aug 1995 – Aug 2000
HON. EDWIN D. BAEL Aug 2000 – Mar 2002
HON. MARCIANO A. PAYNOR, JR. Sep 2002 – Jan 2006
HON. WILLY C. GAA Jan 2006 – Jul 2006
HON. MARY JO A. BERNARDO ARAGON Feb 2007 – present

Since 1947, the Philippine Consulate General has had several locations in Los Angeles:

Year Location
1947-1952 355 South Broadway Ave., Los Angeles
1953-1967 448 South Hill St., Los Angeles
1967-1974 3075 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles 90005
1975-1987 3250 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles 90010
1987-1995 3460 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles 90010
1995-2003 3660 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles 90010
2003-Present 3600 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 500, Los Angeles 90010

MISSION

It serves the consular needs of the largest Filipino community outside the Philippines numbering more than one (1) million. Generally, by law, regulation and treaty, the Consulate serves as an adjunct of the Philippine Government in the overall task of promoting and protecting the national interests of the Philippines and its citizens in the areas/localities under the Consulate’s jurisdiction. In short, it implements Philippine foreign policy within its jurisdiction.   

SERVICES

In contrast to the Embassy or diplomatic post, which focuses on higher level political representation in the host government’s capital, a Consulate or consular post focuses on assistance to nationals, economic diplomacy, issuance of passports and visas, civil registration, notarials and other legal services, promotion of Philippine culture, and fostering closer relations with the ever-growing Filipino-American community

FUNCTIONS

Specifically, the Consulate General has the following functions:

JURISDICTION

The Consulate exercises consular jurisdiction over the following territories:

ORGANIZATION

To perform its tasks within its jurisdiction, the Consulate is organized into the following sections:
  1. Office of the Consul General - As office of the Head of Post, this section shall provide leadership and management for the Philippine Team in the US Southwest, in the performance of which task the Section Heads shall also assist. Integrated into this office are the administrative, fiscal and frontline personnel to provide staff support and handle all matters having to do with administration, protocol, finance, records, property and the provision of frontline services to walk-in clients--particularly, but not limited to--those needing passports and notarials.
  2. Cultural Promotions and Community Relations Section – To manage the library as a cultural resource, promote cultural relations between the Philippines and the state/local governments within the Consulate's area of jurisdiction, and to coordinate activities and relations with the Filipino-American community.
  3. Economic Diplomacy & Visas Section – To undertake the promotion of trade and investments (in coordination with the Trade Representative in Los Angeles) as well as the promotion of tourism (in coordination with the Tourism Representative in Los Angeles); to gather pertinent and needed information on threats and opportunities affecting Philippine trade, investments and tourism; and to facilitate (while implementing visa rules) the travel to the Philippines of tourists, business people, transients, seamen, foreign government officials, students, treaty traders, pre-arranged employees, special non-immigrants, and immigrants, whether non-quota or quota.
  4. Information, Communications & Press Relations Section – To maintain and continually update the Consulate's website; to ensure the public responsiveness of the telephone and mailing systems; to handle communications with the home government--particularly those of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Philippine Foreign Service Posts--as well as communications with the host government, in particular the state/local governments of the Consulate's jurisdiction; and to prepare press releases, manage press conferences and otherwise take care of the Consulate's relations with mass media, both mainstream and Filipino-American.
  5. Dual Citizenship and Assistance to Nationals Section – To process all dual citizenship applications pursuant to Republic Act 9225; To handle all cases of assistance to nationals in distress or other cases of assistance or facilitation for the interests of Filipino citizens--which assistance/facilitation cases are not by nature covered under economic diplomacy or under categories integral to the work of other sections.
  6. Legal and Registration of Nationals Section – To handle all legal matters, whether by instructions from Manila or occasioned by queries from citizens, be they natural or juridical persons; To issue authentications, notarials, certifications and related papers; perform the duties of the local civil registrar relating to births, marriages, deaths and other matters affecting the status of Filipinos; and register nationals in accordance with foreign service regulations and other laws, and issue identification or registration cards as might be needed as a consequence of such registration.
  7. Passports and Travel Documents (PTD) Section – To issue passports and travel documents in implementation of citizenship, passports and related laws.

ADDRESS AND DIRECTIONS TO THE CONSULATE

Our address is 3600 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90010,
with telephone number (213) 639-0980 to 85 / fax number (213) 639-0990/
e-mail: losangelespcg@earthlink.net.
Our office hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. Please click here: Getting to the Consulate to secure directions and maps on how to get to the Office.

Resumé of Consul General Mary Jo Bernardo Aragon

Consul General Mary Jo Bernardo Aragon is a career diplomat with the rank of Chief of Mission I. She joined the Philippine Foreign Service in June 1979.

Before assuming her post at the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles in June 2006, Mrs. Aragon held the position of Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs in Manila.

In the Foreign Service, Mrs. Aragon served in various capacities at the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York from 1994 to 2001and at the Philippine Embassy in Brussels, Belgium from 1982 to 1990.

Mrs. Aragon earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Schiller College in Bönnigheim, Germany and London, UK, and a Diploma in International Relations from the University of London, UK.

Born in Manila, Mrs. Aragon is married to Dr. Romualdo A. Aragon, Jr. and they have one daughter, Kimberly.

1 June 2009

Contact Information

Office Address 3600 Wilshire Bl., Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90010, U.S.A.
E-mail Address losangelespcg@earthlink.net | losangelespc@aol.com
Web Address http://www.philippineconsulatela.org
Areas of Jurisdiction Southern California, Southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas
Trunkline No. 1(213) 639-0980 to 85
Emergency Hotline No. 1(213) 268-9990 (after office hours)
Facsimile No. 1(213) 639-0990
Office Hours 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (Monday – Friday); 12nn-1pm (Lunch Break)

Consulate Directory

1. Office of the Consul General (213) 637-3008 | losangelespcg@earthlink.net
2. Office of the Deputy Consul General (213) 637-3001
3. Office of the Legal Officer (213) 637-3004
4. Administrative Section (213) 637-3002 | (213) 637-3030
5. Finance Section (213) 637-3012
6. Economic Section (213) 637-3011
7. Political & Information Section (213) 637-3028 | info_pcgenla@earthlink.net
8. Cultural Section (213) 637-3031 | cultural_pcgla@yahoo.com
9. Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) Section (213) 637-3003
10. Passport Section (213) 637-3005 | (213) 637-3016 | passport.pcgenla@gmail.com
11. Lost Passport Section (213) 637-3026
12. Passport Mailing Section (213) 637-3015
13. Releasing Section [Passport (for pick-up)/ Legal Documents/Travel Documents] (213) 637-3018
14. Legal/Notarial Section (213) 637-3027
15. Visa Section (213) 637-3021
16. Dual Citizenship Section (213) 637-3025
17. Civil Registry Section [Reports of Birth (ROB)/Marriage (ROM)/Death (ROD)] (213) 637-3017
18. Assistance to Nationals (ATN)/Veterans' Benefits Section (213) 637-3024

ATTACHED AGENCIES

OFFICE OF THE TOURISM DIRECTOR

3660 Wilshire Bl., Suite 216, Los Angeles, CA 90010		 Tel. No.: (213) 487-4525 Fax No.: (213) 386-4063

E-mail: PDOTLA@aol.com
OFFICE OF THE TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

3250 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 602, Los Angeles, CA 90010		 Tel. No.: (213) 822-4479 Fax No.: (213) 572-7204

Website: www.dti.gov.ph E-mail: ptic-la@earthlink.net

Links

Department of Foreign Affairs www.dfa.gov.ph
Department of Tourism www.tourism.gov.ph
Bureau of Immigration www.immigration.gov.ph
Department of Education and Culture www.deped.gov.ph
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) www.ched.gov.ph
Commission on Elections (COMELEC) www.comelec.gov.ph
Bureau of Customs www.customs.gov.ph
Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) www.prc.gov.ph
National Statistics Office (NSO) www.ecensus.com.ph
Government Services Insurance System (GSIS) www.gsis.gov.ph
Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) www.cfo.gov.ph
National Historical Insitute www.nhi.gov.ph
OTHERS:  
Philippine Airlines www.philippineairlines.com
Philippine Newspapers www.philnews.com
Learn Filipino www.learnfilipino.ph
Embassy of the United States of America in Manila www.usembassy.gov
U.S. Department of State www.state.gov
U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) www.uscis.gov
U.S. Postal Services (USPS) www.usps.com
U.S. Census 2010 http://2010.census.gov/2010census/