Our current Consul General in the Philippine Consulate General Sydney, the Honourable Charmaine Rowena Aviquivil has recently been appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Arab Republic of Egypt.
The Commission on Appointments, led by chairperson Senate President Vicente Sotto III, confirmed on Tuesday (Oct. 7, 2025) the ad interim appointments of Department of Foreign Affairs officials which included ConGen Aviquivil.
Consul General Aviquivil has worked for over 36 years in public service, 28 years of which was with the DFA, and this included being assigned to the Philippine Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, as Second Secretary and Consul during 2005 to 2008.  It can be said, therefore, that her return to Egypt is a ‘homecoming’ with a bigger mission.
When asked to comment on what it was like for her when she was advised of her new appointment, she said: 
“I am deeply honoured by the trust and confidence placed in me by the Department of Foreign Affairs on my appointment as Philippine Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt, and grateful for the confirmation of my appointment by the Commission on Appointments. I can say that I’ve come full circle—Cairo was my very first foreign posting as a young Foreign Service Officer from 2005 to 2008, and it holds a special place in my heart. It was there that I first learned to navigate the waters of diplomacy — to listen, observe, and engage with a culture so rich and yet so different from my own.”
What does she look forward to in her new posting?
“Returning now as Ambassador is both humbling and deeply meaningful. It is an opportunity to build on those early lessons and experiences, to renew old connections, and to contribute once again in strengthening the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the Philippines and Egypt.”

ConGen has accomplished much in the three years of serving the NSW Fil-Aus residents and beyond. On the question of what achievements would she hold fondly in her heart?
“I take pride in having helped keep the relationship between the Philippines and our Filipino-Australian community dynamic and vibrant. Serving our kababayans in New South Wales over the past three years in the best way I can has also been one of the most meaningful chapters of my career, and I consider our efforts to ensure that more than 152,000 Filipinos in NSW received efficient and timely consular services as important. But what I treasure most are the personal connections that I have built over the past three years— being present in the community’s milestones, celebrations, and even quiet moments, and ensuring that the Consulate remained open, accessible, and truly one with the people it serves.”

The Fil-Aus community holds her dear as a people's Consul General who has devotedly served and inspired them.  The message she would like to leave them -  
“I will be leaving Sydney with a heavy heart. It has been a joy to serve and grow alongside the Filipino-Australian community, who welcomed me not just as their Consul General, but as a friend. I will deeply miss the warmth and kindness of the community, and the countless friendships I have made here. As I take the first steps in my new journey, I carry with me the many lessons and memories we shared. I sincerely hope that you will extend the same level of support and cooperation to my successor and to the officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate, that I have received from all of you.”

Career Background

Consul General Aviquivil, who is fondly called “ConGen Charmaine” by a lot of people in the Fil-Aus community, arrived in Sydney on October 25, 2022.  She hardly hit the ground when she straight away attended several community events.   She was tireless especially in the month of December with many welcome events, Christmas celebrations, the observance of Dr Jose Rizal’s martyrdom, as well doing a live-in-the-studio interview by the Radio Tagumpay team.
Three years on, the Fil-Aus community has undertaken many initiatives and projects that had been inspired under her caring and empowering leadership.
Her public service started when she joined the government as a Media Production Specialist and eventually as Information Officer at the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), from 1989 to 1997.

After passing the highly competitive Foreign Service Officer (FSO) examinations in 1997, she joined the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) as a FSO that year. Subsequently she was promoted to Career Minister in January 2013 after passing the Career Minister’s examinations in 2012, and later to Chief of Mission 2 in 2021.
At the DFA Home Office, after completing a six-month cadetship course under the Foreign Service Institute from 1997 to 1998, she initially served as Principal Assistant in the Public Information Services Unit from 1998 to 2002. She became Director of the Africa Division of the Office of Middle East and African Affairs (OMEAA) at the DFA from 2008 to 2011.  Her most recent assignment at the Home Office was as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Policy Planning and Coordination (OPPC).  


Before her posting in Sydney, her previous foreign assignments were at the Philippine Embassy in Oslo, Norway from 2015 to 2017; Philippine Embassy in Athens, Greece from 2011-2015; as previously mentioned at the Philippine Embassy in Cairo, Egypt and prior to that, at the Philippine Consulate General in Agana, Guam from 2002 to 2005. 

Her educational qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City where she graduated Cum Laude in 1986.  She also earned a Master in Philippine Studies degree from the same university in the year 2001.
Personal Background
ConGen was born in Manila to parents Conrado, now deceased, from San Pablo, Laguna and Fe, now 96, from Lingayen, Pangasinan. They were both government employees, having met at the COMELEC, and they instilled in her a sense of duty and a desire to give back to the country through public service.  She is the eldest of two, both girls, with a younger sister now based in Seattle, and a proud auntie to a beautiful niece.    

With her recent appointment, ConGen has fulfilled the unrealised dream of her father to be an ambassador. He took up a career in foreign service, but did not complete it due to the demands of the workplace.
The Australian Filipina joins the Filipino-Australian community in New South Wales and beyond in congratulating the Hon. Consul General Charmaine Rowena C Aviquivil in her new position of Ambassador.  We wish her and Sir George Prudente the best in this new chapter of their lives.  
- - - -
Info on the few sample photos - in the order in the Gallery.  (Photo Gallery by Michelle Baltazar).
1. Thumbnail photo - Hon Consul General Charmaine Rowena C. Aviquivil
2. Consul General Charmaine Rowena C. Aviquivil shares a light moment with Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales, during a reception for the New South Wales Consular Corps hosted by the Governor at Government House Sydney on 30 November 2023. 
3. At the Philippine National Day Diplomatic Reception on 13 June 2025. 
4. Consul General Charmaine Rowena C. Aviquivil leads the flag raising ceremony at the official residence on 04 June 2023 to mark the 125th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence. 
5. Members of the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney, the National Museum of the Philippines, and the Weldon Family during the turnover of the Kevin Weldon ancient pottery collection to the Philippine government on 30 May 2025, in celebration of Philippine National Heritage Month and the  the 79th Anniversary of bilateral ties between Philippines and Australia. 
6. The Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Sydney joins the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) Sydney at the launch of the Love the Philippines tourism brand campaign though the unveiling of tram wraps at the Circular Quay, Sydney on 22 December 2023.  Shown in photo are Consul General Charmaine Rowena C. Aviquivil  (5th from left), PH Special Tourism Representative Purificacion S. Molintas (5th from right), Australian Philippines Business Council President Rafael Toda (4th from right) and PCG Sydney officers and staff. 
7.  Consul General in Sydney Charmaine Rowena C. Aviquivil (center) joins the Rizal Park Movement of Campbelltown (RPMC), Knights of Rizal, and Kababaihang Rizalista Inc.  at the wreath laying ceremony to mark the 127th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal at the Rizal Park inCampbelltown, Sydney on 31 December 2023.
8.  Consul General Charmaine Rowena C. Aviquivil (2nd from right) and then Vice Consul Frances Cleofas (1st on right) attended with then Philippine Ambassador to Australia HE Ma Hellen De La Vega ( 6th from left); now Undersecretary of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs)  the Adhika IWD 2023 Event
9.   Consul General Charmaine Rowena C. Aviquivil with then then Philippine Ambassador to Australia HE Ma Hellen De La Vega attended the Christmas Pasko Festival 2024 at Darling Harbour. 
10. With the Radio Tagumpay Team in the studio for a live interview on Dec 7, 2022
11. Consul General Charmaine Rowena C. Aviquivil (4th from left) attended Philippine Flag Raising Event in Bathurst with Consul Sheila Marie Tario (2md from left)  and Vice Consul Diana Marie D. Jimenez-Leomo (4th from right). 
12. The Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Sydney team led by Consul General Charmaine Rowena C. Aviquivil (centre, st row) conduct a consular outreach mission for the Filipino community in New Caledonia on 18 November 2023.