Ambassador Susan O. Castrence

Ambassador Susan O. Castrence is a career foreign service officer who rose from the ranks. She obtained
her Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Service from the University of the Philippines, then pursued graduate
studies in Public Administration also from UP. Her first foreign assignment was at the Philippine Embassy
in Bonn, as Cultural Assistant.

Her extensive training allowed her to succeed in civil service eligibility examinations, culminating in her
earning first place honor in the highly competitive Foreign Service Officers Examination in 1974. She then
served as Consul at the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok, after which she was posted to the Consulate
General in Sydney also as Consul.

In the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, she served as Chief of the United Nations Specialized
Agencies Division as well as head of the Press Office. After the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986, she
was assigned as Minister Counselor and Consul General at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D. C.
for 7 years. In 1990, she was promoted to the rank of Ambassador.

She served as Official Spokesperson of the Department of Foreign Affairs from 1993-1996, after which she
was assigned to the Philippine Consulate in Osaka, Japan as Consul General. Three years later, on August
6, 1999, she was transferred to the Consulate General in Toronto as Consul General until 2003. She was
designated Assistant Secretary (Director General) of the Office of ASEAN, Department of Foreign Affairs,
Manila, on August 2003.

She was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Korea on 27
January 2006.

A native of Cavite, she is married with four (4) children.