After the establishment of the Philippine Association of the Order of Malta in 1957, its first National Association President, Don Manuel Moran, began negotiations with the Philippine government to elevate the Order’s recognition from an organization to an Embassy. This process would take years before significant developments would happen.

In 1965, the Order’s efforts successfully led to the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Sovereign Order of Malta and the Republic of the Philippines. These formal relations led to the then Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the Holy See, Don Benigno Toda y Toledo, becoming the Filipino Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in Rome.

A decade would pass before the Order formally established an Embassy in the Philippines in 1978, with Don Jose María Soriano chosen as its first Ambassador. In 1979, the Prince and Grand Master of the Order, Fra’ Angelo de Mojana di Cologna, visited the Philippines as an official guest of President Marcos. The Grand Master was conferred the Order of Sikatuna, Rank of Raja, the highest Philippine diplomatic order of merit.

The Embassy has continuously strengthened partnerships to advance the Order’s humanitarian mission by supporting the initiatives of the Philippine Association of the Order of Malta. Throughout the decades, these efforts have evolved in response to the changing needs of Filipino society.

In its early years, the Embassy supported institutions such as Hospicio de San Jose in Quiapo, Manila, and the Old Balala Hospital in the leprosy colony of Culion, Palawan, helping pioneer leprosy treatment and rehabilitation in the country. Following the successful adoption of multi-drug therapy (MDT), which made leprosy curable, the Order expanded its humanitarian focus to address emerging public health concerns. Among these was the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV and AIDS Program, which provided medical, educational, and spiritual support to people living with HIV.

Today, the Embassy continues to support projects serving marginalized and underserved communities across the Philippines. Since 2022, more than 1,100 patients have received free ENT, Ophthalmology, and Pulmonology services through the Order’s medical missions in partnership with Makati Medical Center. In 2023, the Order also launched Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) projects in Benguet and Northern Samar.

In 2015, the Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing, visited the country to hand over the symbolic key of over 700 homes that the Order built for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda. As a symbol of gratitude to the Order’s friendship and assistance to the country,
President Aquino III conferred Fra’ Matthew Festing the Order of Sikatuna, Rank of Raja, making him the second Grand Master of the Order to receive the honor. In turn, President Aquino III received the Order of Merit pro Merito Melitensi from the Grand Master as a mark of “excellent bonds of friendship” between the country and the Order.

The Embassy celebrates its National Day on the 24th of June, held in commemoration of the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist, the Patron Saint of the Order. National Day celebrations aim to make the Order’s nearly 1000-year legacy and its vital humanitarian work better known within the diplomatic community and the Filipino people. Ultimately, the event aims to inspire a renewed sense of hope and action in realizing the Order’s mission to nurture the faith and serve the poor.