Sri Lanka has opened its first Honorary Consulate in the Philippines, in Davao City, in a move aimed at widening consular access and deepening bilateral cooperation.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath opened the mission at a ceremony attended by Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Philippines Dr. Chanaka Talpahewa, Attaché and Consular Officer Chaturi Kaplana, Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka to Mindanao William Chen, Congressman Harold Duterte, municipal councillors of Davao City and other officials.
The opening coincided with celebrations marking the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
According to a statement from the Embassy of Sri Lanka in the Philippines, the decision to establish the consulate in Davao City responded to growing demand for accessible consular services among Sri Lankan and Philippine nationals in Mindanao. Applicants previously had to travel to Manila to complete consular procedures, adding time and expense.
The new office will provide a closer point of access for selected consular services and is expected to strengthen engagement with the Sri Lankan community and local stakeholders in the southern Philippines.
Speaking at the inauguration, Herath described the opening as both a practical improvement and a symbolic one.
“The opening of Sri Lanka’s first Honorary Consulate in the Philippines is both a practical step in improving consular services and a symbol of the enduring friendship between Sri Lanka and the Philippines,” he said.
He added that Sri Lanka looked forward to expanding cooperation in trade, tourism, investment, education and cultural exchanges while strengthening ties between the two peoples.
Davao City, a major economic centre in the southern Philippines, is expected to serve as a platform for building economic and people-to-people links between Sri Lanka and Mindanao. Officials said a large number of Sri Lankan nationals, their families and Philippine well-wishers attended the ceremony.
