22 September 2016 — Canada's Ambassador-Designate John T. Holmes presented his open letter of credence to Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr. on September 13.  

Ambassador-Designate Holmes has previously been posted to the region, having served as Ambassador to Indonesia, with concurrent accreditation to Timor-Leste and ASEAN. Prior to his arrival in Manila, he headed the Canadian Embassy in Ankara, Turkey.

Canada is the Philippines' sixth top partner for development assistance and a major trading partner. Close to 700,000 Filipinos are currently working and living in Canada. END