Foreign relations of the Philippines
Encyclopedia
The Foreign relations of the Philippines are administered by the President of the Philippines
and the nation's Department of Foreign Affairs
. A great deal of Filipino international affairs are influenced by the Philippines' ties to its Southeast Asian
neighbors, United States
, and the Middle East
.
The Philippines is a founding member of the United Nations
; it has been an elected member of the Security Council
and has participated in FAO
, International Labor Organization (ILO), UNESCO
and World Health Organization
. Like most nations, the Philippines is a signatory of Interpol
. The Philippines is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
, East Asia Summit
, and the Latin Union
. It was formerly a member of the now-defunct SEATO. Declaring itself as independent of any major power block of nations, the Philippines is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement
.
Economically, the Philippines is participant in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
, Asian Development Bank
, the Colombo Plan
, Group of 24, G-20
, G-77
, the World Bank
, Next Eleven
and the World Trade Organization
(WTO).
Philippine foreign policy is based on the advancement of Filipino ideals and values, which include the advancement of democracy and advocacy for human rights worldwide.
The nation is currently actively engaging with regional neighbors in Southeast Asia
through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(as a founding member) with the intention of strengthening regional harmony, stability, and prosperity. It has been a supporter of East Timor
since the latter's independence and has expanded trade links with its traditional allies Indonesia
, Malaysia, Singapore
, and Thailand
. Relations with Vietnam
and Cambodia
have thawed in the 1990s after their entry into the ASEAN.
Ties to the United States have affected Filipino international relations. The Republic of the Philippines considers itself a staunch ally of the United States and has supported many points of American foreign policy. This is evident in the Philippines' participation in the Iraq War and the War on Terror
. Speaking to this support, U.S. President
George W. Bush
praised the Philippines as a bastion of democracy in the East and called the Philippines America's oldest ally in Asia. President Bush's speech on October 18, 2003 was only the second U.S. Presidential address to the Philippine Congress; U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
delivered the first.
While the Philippines' relationship with the United States remains strong, the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
has sought to establish closer ties to its earlier colonizer, Spain. This was inspired by the attendance of King Juan Carlos
and Queen Sofía
at the June 12, 1998 celebration honoring the centennial of the Philippines' independence from Spain. President Macapagal-Arroyo made two official visits to Spain during her presidency.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines
has been a participant in various regional conflicts, including the Korean War
and the Vietnam War
. Recently, the Philippines sent peacekeeping forces to Iraq
, in addition to civilian doctors, nurses and police. However, the Filipino mission was later recalled as collateral for the release of a Filipino hostage. As part of a UN Peacekeeping Operation, Philippine Army General
Jaime de los Santos
became the first commander of troops responsible for maintaining order in East Timor
.
The Philippines is in tension with rival international claimants to various land and water territories in the South China Sea
. The Philippines is currently in dispute with the People's Republic of China
over the Malampaya and Camago gas fields. The two countries are also in dispute over the Scarborough Shoal
. Additionally, the Philippines has a disputed claim over the Spratly Islands
.
Relations with other Asian nations have been strong. Japan
, which has been an active donor of aid, has close ties with the country. Relations with China have recently been expanded, especially with regards to the economy. The presence of a large South Korean expat community has led to the expansion of relations between the two nations. India
has also been an important partner, as have countries outside of Asia such as Australia
, Mexico
, New Zealand
, and Saudi Arabia
.
In recent years, the Philippines has been distancing itself from the West
due to its active role in the Non-aligned Movement
and the G-77
. This trend is reflected in its recent positions on Kosovo
and Israel
.
Australia
Philippines
As concerns over terrorism in South East Asia have grown in recent years, Australia has become the second largest provider of defense training to the Philippines after the United States. In 2003, the governments of Australia and the Philippines signed a MOU
pertaining to the combating of international terrorism and transnational crime.
Subsequently, in May 2007 on a visit to Australia by President Arroyo, Australia and the Philippines signed a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement.
Australia assisted the Philippines and the United States in battles in the Philippines during World War II.
Brazil Philippines
On June 2009, The Philippines and Brazil
made their pledges as they signed mutual cooperation agreements in the fields of bio-energy and agriculture. The two countries committed themselves to take the necessary steps to implement the signed Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Agriculture and the Memorandum of Understanding on Bioenergy Cooperation. The Philippines and Brazil signed six memoranda of understanding and agreements on the development and production of renewable energy, and agriculture cooperation. It intends to “facilitate technical cooperation... on the production and use of biofuels, particularly ethanol, and promote the expansion of bilateral trade and investment in biofuel.”
Brunei Philippines
On April 2009, The Philippines and Brunei
signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) that seeks to strengthen the bilateral cooperation of the two countries in the fields of agriculture and farm-related trade and investments. The MOU further strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two Southeast Asian countries, particularly in the fields of agriculture and farm-related trade and investments. The two countries have agreed to cooperate in plant science, crops technology, vegetable and fruit preservation, biotechnology, post-harvest technology, livestock, organic agriculture, irrigation and water resources and Halal
industry.
Canada Philippines
Philippine–Canadian relations officially began in 1972 when the first Canadian mission in 1949 was upgraded to a full embassy. But years before that—in the 1890s, Canadian investments had preceded Canadian diplomacy in Manila.
Trade between Manila and Ottawa has grown steadily. The Philippines is Canada’s largest agricultural-food export market in Southeast Asia. The Canadian International Development Agency works actively in the far-flung communities with local governments and nongovernmental organizations, in the areas of agricultural cooperatives, local governance and small-business development. More than 60 percent of the Canadian International Development Agency
’s resources targets strife-torn Mindanao to help restore peace and rebuild lives and properties.
Independent State of Croatia Philippines
On June 2009, The Philippines and Croatia
have concluded two agreements on cooperation in the fields of culture and sports, which will pave the way for greater people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. The agreements were a Memorandum of Agreement
on Cultural Cooperation, which aims to promote better understanding between the peoples of the two countries and a Memorandum of Understanding
on Cooperation in the Field of Sports.
East Timor Philippines
The Philippines was actively involved in the United Nations peacekeeping forces in East Timor
during its move towards independence. When several nations recognized East Timor's sovereignty, the Philippines began official diplomatic relations between the two governments with the establishment of an embassy in Dili.
The Philippines has pledged increased commerce and trade with East Timor and has also sought to cultivate cultural and educational exchanges. The two nations share a legacy in Asia as being the region's only states with Roman Catholic and other Christian
majority populations.
Ever since East Timor's independence the Philippine Military has also supported the Military of East Timor by deploying a number of soldiers to assist in peacekeeping missions and training for the soldiers of the East Timorese army.
European Union Philippines
The European Union and the Philippines shares diplomatic, economic, cultural and political relations. The European Union has provided € 3 million to the Philippines to fight poverty and € 6 million for counter-terrorism against terrorist groups in the Southern Philippines
. The European Union is also the third largest trading partner of the Philippines with the Philippines and The European Union importing and exporting products to each other. There are at least (estimated) 31,961 Europeans (not including Spaniards) living in the Philippines.
Early Modern France Philippines
During the centennial of the French Revolution in 1889, Rizal sought to organize a conference that called Association Internationale des Philippinistes
was to be launched with Ferdinand Blumentritt as President and Edmond Plauchut as Vice President.
The French also permitted Philippine hero Jose Rizal to live in exile in France where he wrote the books Noli Me Tangere
and El Filibusterismo
. These books were also inspired by the French Literary giant Alexandre Dumas, père
.
On June 26, 1947 the Philippines and France signed a Treaty of Amity which established diplomatic relations with the two countries.
The French Ministry of Culture is active in promoting French Culture through its school, Alliance Française de Manille's activities. The French Embassy in the Philippines has sponsored fashion shows, film festivals, art exhibits, wine launches and numerous concerts. It is the prime mover and initiator of the annual Fete de la Musique in Manila (at one time, one of the top ten fetes in the world). There is also an Alliance Française de Cebu in Cebu City.
Greece Philippines
There is a Philippine embassy in Athens. Greece has an embassy in Manila and an honorary consulate general. There are around 40,000 Filipinos living and working in Greece, making them one of the largest foreign communities in Greece. In addition, it is estimated that there are over 22,000 Greeks living in the Philippines. Greece and the Republic of the Philippines also share economic and trading relations.
During the period 1762-1764, during the various Anglo-Spanish wars, 600 Sepoy (or native Indian) troops arrived in the Philippines as part of the military expedition of the East India Company. When the British troops withdrew, many of the Sepoys mutinied and refused to leave. They settled in what is now Cainta, Rizal. The region in and around Cainta still has many Sepoy descendants.
During the 18th century, there was robust trade between Manila and the Coromandel Coast of Bengal, involving Philippine exports of tobacco, silk, cotton, indigo, sugar cane and coffee.
Seven years after India’s independence in 1947, the Philippines and India signed a Treaty of Friendship on 11 July 1952 in Manila to strengthen the friendly relations existing between the two countries. Soon after, the Philippine Legation in New Delhi was established and then elevated to an Embassy. However, due to foreign policy differences as a result of the bipolar alliance structure of the Cold War, the development of bilateral relations was stunted. It was only in 1976 that relations started to normalize when Mr. Aditya Birla, one of India’s successful industrialists, met with then President Ferdinand E. Marcos to explore possibilities of setting up joint ventures in the Philippines. This resulted in the establishment of Indo-Philippine Textile Mills, Inc. (Indo-Phil), then the largest Indian investment in the country. Indo-Phil currently employs 2,000 Filipino workers and supplies 40% of Philippine domestic demand for yarn.
In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Philippines–India diplomatic relations and pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 1924, the month of November 2009 was proclaimed as Philippines–India Friendship Month by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The Policy Consultation Talks between the two countries was established in 2000. The talks, which are held annually and conducted by the foreign offices of the two countries on the level of senior officials, aimed at discussing bilateral issues and regional and international issues of common concern.
The first RP–India Security Dialogue was held in Manila on 12 March 2004. The Philippines and India agreed to establish a security dialogue that would serve as a policy forum for sharing security assessments and for reviewing and giving direction to cooperation in bilateral/regional security and defense matters.
Both countries also signed a Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism to complement the ASEAN-India Joint Declaration to Combat International Terrorism which was adopted by the Heads of Government and States of ASEAN and India on 8 October 2003 in Bali, Indonesia. The declaration seeks to enhance intelligence and information sharing on counter-terrorism measures, strengthen capacity-building efforts through training and education, capability and readiness, including training and technical assistance; and to continue working together in the fight against the cyber crime and terrorist misuse of cyber space.
The Trade Agreement between the Philippines and India was signed on 29 May 1979. In 1995, following the first Philippine Trade Mission to India, a Joint Working Group and a Joint Business Council were set up to assess and identify potentials for trade as well as identify new areas for collaboration. Since then, bilateral meetings have been held regularly.
The inaugural session of the Joint Commission was held on 15 March 2011, co-chaired by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario, and was held in New Delhi. During the meeting both sides agreed to move forward on cooperative initiatives in various fronts (trade, agriculture, defense).
Iran Philippines
Ambassador Aladin G. Villacorte presented his Letters of Credence to H.R. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran at ceremonies held at the Presidential Palace in Tehran on September 10, 2007.
In a brief statement, Ambassador Villacorte expressed his warm felicitations on behalf of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the Filipino people, underscoring the Philippine commitment to see full range of our relations to grow and mature” particularly in the fields of trade and investment, tourism and culture.
Ambassador Villacorte also emphasized that both Philippines and Iran have collaborate on issue of global concern. “Indeed we have made significant contributions to the promotion of the better understanding among nations through interfaith dialogue and cooperation.
There is also a population of thousands of Iranians living in the Philippines
, mostly in Metro Manila
.
Republic of Ireland Philippines
The Irish and the Filipinos have long had a close relationship, and are especially close in modern times. The Republic of Ireland has a sizeable Filipino community because it is a major employer of Filipino nurses in Europe.
Israel Philippines
Considered a key vote in the creation of a Jewish state
, the Philippines was the only Asian nation to vote in favor of a United Nations partition resolution on November 29, 1947. The partition resolution created the country of Israel
in the former British Mandate of Palestine. Full diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Israel did not occur until 1957. The Philippine Embassy opened in Tel Aviv
in 1962; the Israeli embassy opened in Manila in the same year. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the two countries in 1997, further cementing bilateral political dialogue between the foreign ministries. There are approximately 60,000 Filipino workers, in Israel.
Japan Philippines
See also Japan–Philippines relations
Relations between the Philippines and Japan have rapidly improved since the end of World War II
. Modern relations between the Philippines and Japan are very close and Japan is a key trading, economic and possibly military ally of the Philippines. Japan has also assisted the Philippines in building tunnels, bridges and highway
s (motorway) in Metro Manila
, and is a main source of rail equipment and advisor for rail transport development. In 2005/2006 Japan dropped an US$8 billion debt with the Philippines and after the Leyte Mud slide Japan deployed soldiers to Leyte to assist Filipino and foreign workers. There are thousands of Japanese nationals/citizens (civilians) living in the Philippines (see Ethnic groups in the Philippines
for details). Japanese business people have opened a large number of businesses in the Philippines offering jobs to Filipino workers.
Malaysia Philippines
Philippines has an embassy in Kuala Lumpur
, and Malaysia has an embassy in Manila. The people of the two neighboring countries speak similar languages, and have a long history of close economic and political relations. They are both founding members of ASEAN, and are important trading partners. The two countries have participated in joint conservation measures in the Sulu Sea
, which lies between the two countries. Malaysia has assisted in peacekeeping efforts in the Muslim
insurgency in Mindanao
. The countries are both involved in ongoing disputes over ownership of the Spratly Islands
and the Philippines has a claim over the Sabah
state in northern Borneo though this is currently not being actively pursued.
and the Philippines share a myriad of traditions and customs derived from historical ties established nearly 450 years ago. Their common history dates back to the time when both countries were part of New Spain
. King Philip II of Spain
ordered the expedition known as the Legazpi exploration
. During the Mexican administration of the Philippines, other than General Legazpi
, all of the governor-generals were born in Mexico. Due to the grand exchange with the Philippines in those days, many cultural traits were adopted by one another, with Mexicans remaining in the Philippines, and Filipinos establishing in Mexico, particularly the central west coast, near the port town of Acapulco
. Many Nahuatl
words were adopted and popularized in the Philippines, such as Tianggui (market fair) and Zapote (a fruit).
The Independence of the Philippines brought forth a new era of relations between the two countries. Mexico dispatched an envoy to participate in the festivities to celebrate the birth of the Southeast Asian nation. Diplomatic ties between both countries were formalized on April 14 of 1953. The year of 1964 was decreed the "Year of Philippine-Mexican Friendship" to celebrate the Fourth Centennial of the Expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi. In modern day, the conquest of the Philippines is seen as a Spanish initiative, while Mexicans view it as a historical link of brotherly friendship, and several groups intend on strengthening relations between the two countries.
Mexico has an embassy in Manila, and the Philippines has an embassy in Mexico City
. Both countries share a multitude of bilateral agreements including cooperation in Science, Technology, Cutlure, Tourism, Education, and the fight against illegal drug trafficking and abuse. There is currently an initiative to distinguish the long lasting relation by formalizing the Filipino section of Mexico City's Chinatown
by creating Barrio Manila or Barrio Filipino(Little Manila) in or near the current area within Downtown Mexico City.
Netherlands Philippines
The Netherlands is currently one of Philippines most important trading partners within the EU. The two have shared major trading partnership back to when the Philippines was a Spanish colony.
Philippines
The Philippines and New Zealand share normal diplomatic, trade, (small scale) military and economic relations. The Philippines and New Zealand were/are also partners in the Korean War
, Vietnam War
and War on Terror
.
There are over 16,000 Filipinos residing in New Zealand and in turn there are 2,000- New Zealanders in the Philippines.
The Philippines has an embassy in Wellington
and 2 other consulates, one in Auckland
and in Christchurch
.
combat methamphetamine. The New Zealand Police also helps in providing training to the Philippine National Police
.
North Korea Philippines
In 2000, the Philippines and North Korea finally established diplomatic relations after more than 20 years of negotiations, although trade between the two countries is almost non-existent, as they both still have a trade embargo.
In 2007, the agreement was boosted further and was signed by Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo and North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun during the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Manila.[34]
Philippines has a representation in Pyongyang, thru embassy in Beijing; and North Korea has a representation thru its embassy in Bangkok.
Pakistan Philippines
The official visit by Pakistan
President
Pervez Musharraf
to the Philippines on April 18, 2005 signaled increased relations between the two nations. Four agreements were signed in the presence of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and visiting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in the presidential palace:
Apart from the four agreements, President Musharraf also assured Pakistan's full support for the Philippine government's efforts to end the decades old rebellion in the southern islands of Mindanao.
Papua New Guinea Philippines
On March 2009, The Philippines and Papua New Guinea
entered into a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) that would enhance the cooperation between the two countries on the development of fisheries. The MoU will facilitate technology transfer in aquaculture development, promotion of shipping ventures, investments, technical training, joint research, and “strategic complementation” of each country’s plans in the “Coral Triangle” – or the waters between the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands. The fisheries trade is significantly responsible for recent overall trade growth between the Philippines and Papua New Guinea.
Mainland China Philippines
The Philippines and China established diplomatic relations on June 9, 1975 with the signing of the Joint Communiqué by leaders of the two countries. Since then bilateral relations between the two countries have developed steadily despite some difficulties. Both countries have maintained high level contacts and exchanges.
Several major bilateral agreements were signed between the two countries over the years, such as: Joint Trade Agreement (1975); Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement (1978); Postal Agreement (1978); Air Services Agreement (1979); Visiting Forces Agreement (1999); Cultural Agreement (1979); Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (1992); Agreement on Agricultural Cooperation (1999); Tax Agreement (1999); and Treaty on Mutual Judicial Assistance on Criminal Matters (2000). In May 2000, on the eve of the 25th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, the two countries signed a Joint Statement defining the framework of bilateral relations in the 21st century.
Bilateral relations between the Philippines and China have significantly progressed in recent years. The growing bilateral relations were highlighted by the state visit to China of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on 29–31 October 2001. During the visit, President Arroyo held bilateral talks with top Chinese leaders, namely President Jiang Zemin, NPC Chairman Li Peng, and Premier Zhu Rongji. President Arroyo also attended the 9th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting held in Shanghai on October 20–21, 2001, where she also had bilateral talks with President Jiang.
During President Arroyo's visit, eight important bilateral agreements were signed.
Russia Philippines
Philippine ambassador to Moscow, Russia Ernesto V. Llamas, reported to the Department of foreign affairs that the Philippines and Russia observed 30 years of formal, diplomatic relations on June 2, 2006, through an exchange of top-level officials in the mass media and a recognition
of initiatives in the field of politics, economics, culture and tourism. Llamas said that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged official messages in the two countries' leading newspapers, The Philippine Star and Lzvestia. As of 2007, the Russian ambassador to the Philippines is Vitaly Y. Vorobiev.
Russia has an embassy in Manila. The Philippines has an embassy in Moscow
, and two honorary consulates (in Saint Petersburg
and Vladivostok
).
South Korea Philippines
South Korea
is one of the Philippines' largest trading partners. The two nations were especially close as the Armed Forces of the Philippines
, under the United Nations command of Douglas MacArthur
, were pledged to fight for South Korea and its allies in the Korean War. Last November 21, President Lee Myung-bak
visited the Philippines
during the Korea - Philippine Business forum together with President Benigno Aquino III
.
Spain Philippines
The Philippines was the lone Spanish
colony in Asia for almost three and a half centuries. There continues to be mixed feelings between many Filipinos
towards Spain and the common negative resentment most Filipinos have towards colonial mentality
that have been ingrained in many Filipinos, but relations have improved significantly over the years since after independence. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
concluded her second state visit in Spain in July 2006, bringing along millions of dollars of Spanish investments, particularly in Tourism
and Information Technology
. The Spanish king, Juan Carlos I
, also reiterated in Mrs. Arroyo's visit, his support for her project in the Philippines to re-establish Spanish
as an official language in the country. He and his wife, Queen Sofia
attended the 1998 centennial celebrations in Manila, commemorating 100 years of independence from Spain. The mediation of King Juan Carlos I is said to have produced the pardon and liberation of 2 Filipina domestic workers sentenced to death in Kuwait and the UAE.
Republic of China Philippines
The Philippines recognize the One China Policy but has relations to the Republic of China
(ROC, also known as Taiwan) through the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei
and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila. Both offices were established in 1975 and were organized as non-profit and non-stock private corporations.
Total Investment Amount: US$1.1 billion (Taiwan is the 5th largest foreign investor in the Philippines)
Philippine Exports to Taiwan: US$3.1 billion
Philippine Imports from Taiwan: US$2.3 billion
OFWs in Taiwan: 87,000 (the 2nd largest foreign worker nationality group in Taiwan)
Trips to the Philippines by Taiwanese: 73,000 people (the 5th in foreign tourist arrivals in the Philippines)
By early March 2011, the Philippines deported 15 Taiwanese drug pushers to Beijing,China. The ROC protested with this action. The Philippine government sent Manuel Roxas II to talk with ROC President Ma Ying-jeou
. During the visit, Roxas mentioned that the Philippines "regret" their actions. But the ROC maintained that the Philippines apologize for their action. The mission failed, so a second one was sent, headed again by Roxas. The mission, however, failed. From then on, ROC-Philippine relations became strained. But now the ROC and Philippines are back to normal.
United Kingdom Philippines
The UK and the Philippines have good relations. On 2002 President Arroyo and the then Prime Minister Tony Blair met to talk about Poverty and Terrorism. Then on December 2007 President Arroyo met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to talk about the situation of Filipinos in the UK.
The Philippines has been one of the UK's major recruitment countries for nurses and over 80,000 Filipino nurses and care-givers work in the UK. The total Philippine community in the UK is estimated to be about 150,000. There are estimated to be some 15,000 British nationals living in the Philippines. About 65,000 British nationals visit the Philippines annually.
The UK has also supplied the Philippine military with the Simba APC
, Alvis Scorpion Tank
, and the Peacock class patrol vessel
.
United States Philippines
see Philippines–United States relations
The United States and the Philippines continue to show significantly great relations between each other. The United States was the architect of the current form of government in the Philippines through a series of acts of the United States Congress
towards the creation of a commonwealth. The relationship between the two nations is founded on the Philippines' history as an American territory and commonwealth before achieving independence.
The two societies also share some cultural identities: the plans of Manila and Baguio City
were designed by Daniel Burnham
of Chicago, Illinois, Americans and Filipinos speak the English language
, are largely Christian, and both have a fondness for baseball
and basketball
. The two share political heroes: William Howard Taft
and Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
both served as Governors-General of the Philippines
and Douglas MacArthur
liberated the islands from the Japanese during World War II.
A largely Roman Catholic country, the Pope
appointed several Americans as bishops of the various Philippines dioceses during the territorial and commonwealth years, including leadership over the Archdiocese of Manila. In 2007, Benedict XVI appointed an American to be his ambassador to the Philippines, Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
.
and the transfer of sovereignty
over the Philippines from Spain to the United States via the Treaty of Paris
which ended that war, the insurgent
First Philippine Republic
government declared war on the United States. The Philippine-American War
ended with the loss of more than 4000 American soldiers, and the deaths of up to 1,000,000 Filipinos. In the US, this war is largely forgotten, or remembered simply as the aftermath of the Spanish-American War
. In the Philippines, it is remembered as a patriotic struggle for independence, and for the brief institution of the First Philippine Republic.
With the geographic enormity of the United States and its large number of Filipino resident alien
s, the Philippines established several official consulates: Agana, Chicago, Honolulu
, Los Angeles
, New York City, Saipan
and San Francisco
. Honorary consulates were opened in other locations. Each official consulate has jurisdiction over a number of U.S. states. For example, the Consul in Chicago oversees a territory of fourteen states in the Midwestern United States
.
Since the Spanish-American War
, the United States has had a military presence in various forms in the Philippines. Filipinos fought alongside Americans in World War I
, World War II
, Korean War
and Vietnam War
. Today, the two are allies in the War on Terrorism
. While its military bases were closed during the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos
, the United States continues to adhere to the Mutual Defense Treaty ratified by the United States and Philippines senates in 1951.
In 2003, U.S. President George W. Bush declared the Philippines as a major non-NATO ally
, an important defense designation of the United States. Now defunct, the Philippines joined the American-developed South East Asia Treaty Organization during the Cold War
. SEATO was a NATO-type military alliance created to combat Communist threats in Southeast Asia.
Today, the two countries are primarily partners in counterterrorism. Both the Philippines and the United States share intelligence and engage in military exercises in Mindanao and RIMPAC
in Hawaii
.
The Philippines and the United States supported each other in wars such as:
The Mutual Defense Treaty Between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America was signed and ratified on August 30, 1951 in Washington, D.C. between representatives of the Philippines and the United States. The overall accord contained eight articles and dictated that both nations would support each other if either the Philippines or the United States were to be attacked by an external party.
The Philippines has bilateral agreements with the United States and with Australia relating to the status of visiting forces.
Vietnam Philippines
Ever since the end of the Cold War
relations between the Philippines and Vietnam has warmed rapidly. Today the Philippines and Vietnam are economic allies and have a free trade deal with each other. Both nations are a part of Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC). The Philippines and Vietnam have conducted joint military exercises together in the South China Sea
and are trying to find ways to turn the Spratly Islands
from an area of conflict to an area of cooperation. Vietnam is also sometimes called the only communist military ally of the Philippines. The Philippines and Vietnam are also monitoring China's expansion into the South China Sea
making sure that China is no threat to either Philippine or Vietnamese islands in the South China Sea. The Philippines also imports a large amount of writing material, clothes and other products from Vietnam. On May 2009, The Philippines has inked an agreement with Vietnam to cooperate in the fight against crimes and ensuring social order. On January 2010, the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vietnam bourse “for mutual collaboration and communication of information and experience” to facilitate the development and efficient operations of both securities markets.
, Guam
, Northern Marianas Islands, Palau
and parts of Micronesia
, all of which were given separate administrations under American oversight after Spain transferred power to the United States in accordance with the Treaty of Paris. Spanish Manila also governed possessions in Borneo
, Halmahera
, Taiwan
, Pulau Ternate and Pulau Tidore, all of which transferred to non-American entities after the Spanish-American War.
While the transfer of power after Spanish colonial rule was made clear through treaties, other territories' sovereignty were not as clear. Many of those disputes continue today.
, the largest region which the Philippines claim, is now an integral part of Malaysia. On January 23, 1878, Sulu Sultan Jamalul Alam leased his territory in Borneo, in which is now Sabah, to Austrian Gustavus von Overbeck. The Sultan was paid 5,000 Ringgit
every year for the lease. In 1920, despite calls made by Washington to London regarding Sabah, the latter was still made a crown colony of the United Kingdom
. On September 16, 1963, the United Kingdom formally ceded Sabah to Malaysia. Philippine Presidents Diosdado Macapagal
and Ferdinand Marcos
openly claimed Sabah. The latter even ordered Sabah to be put into the Philippine map. Despite challenges of the Philippine government to bring the matter of the dispute to the International Court of Justice
(ICJ), Malaysia still rejects those calls. During 2003, violent mass deportations of illegal Filipinos residing in Sabah resulted in more clamor for the Sabah claim. Up to this day, Malaysia still pays the annual rent of 5,000 Malaysian Ringgit to the Sultan's heirs.
(Panatag Shoal), located west of Palauig, Zambales
, are claimed by the Philippines, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. Currently, a Philippines naval fleet guards the area. The Philippines bases its claim on its close proximity of the Scarborough Shoal to the Philippines. It also says that the Scarborough Shoal is within the Filipino Exclusive Economic Zone
and argues terra nullius
. A Yuan Dynasty
map dated as early as 1279 is the basis for the claim of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. They argue that the area was historically used by their fishermen.
are a group of islands, reefs, and rocks located about 300 kilometers West of Aborlan, Palawan
. The Philippines, along with the People's Republic of China
, the Republic of China
, Malaysia, Vietnam
, and Brunei
expressed claims. The Philippines officially staked a claim to some of the islands during the United Nations convention, although it was first expressed in 1956, when Tomas Cloma
, a Philippine mariner, officially declared some of the eastern Spratlys as a protectorate of the Philippines. Based on proximity and on the United Nations Archipelagic Doctrine, the Philippines can claim some of the Spratlys as an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Whether these arguments (or any other used by the Philippines) would hold up in court is debatable but possibly moot, as the PRC and Vietnam seem unwilling to legally substantiate their claims and have rejected Philippine challenges to take the dispute to the World Maritime Tribunal in Hamburg.
and Ligitan
, which were in dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia, was taken into the ICJ, in which the former won. Sipadan and Ligitan are technically part of Sabah state, and thus would be part of the claim of the Sulu Sultanate
's heir, the Philippines.
and hashish
and is possible that it is illegally shipped to East Asia
, the United States
, and other Western markets; serves as a transit point for heroin and crystal meth
amphetamine.
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
and the nation's Department of Foreign Affairs
Department of Foreign Affairs (Philippines)
The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs is the executive department of the Philippine government tasked to contribute to the enhancement of national security and the protection of the territorial integrity and national sovereignty, to participate in the national endeavor of sustaining...
. A great deal of Filipino international affairs are influenced by the Philippines' ties to its Southeast Asian
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
neighbors, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
The Philippines is a founding member of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
; it has been an elected member of the Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
and has participated in FAO
Fão
Fão is a town in Esposende Municipality in Portugal....
, International Labor Organization (ILO), UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
and World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
. Like most nations, the Philippines is a signatory of Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
. The Philippines is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated ASEAN rarely ), is a geo-political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has...
, East Asia Summit
East Asia Summit
The East Asia Summit is a forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian region. Membership will expand to 18 countries including the United States and Russia at the Sixth EAS in 2011. EAS meetings are held after annual ASEAN leaders’ meetings...
, and the Latin Union
Latin Union
The Latin Union is an international organization of nations that use Romance languages, with the aim of protecting, projecting, and promoting the common cultural heritage and unifying identities of the Latin, and Latin-influenced, world. It was created in 1954 in Madrid, Spain, and has existed as a...
. It was formerly a member of the now-defunct SEATO. Declaring itself as independent of any major power block of nations, the Philippines is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement
Non-Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement is a group of states considering themselves not aligned formally with or against any major power bloc. As of 2011, the movement had 120 members and 17 observer countries...
.
Economically, the Philippines is participant in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region...
, Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
, the Colombo Plan
Colombo Plan
The Colombo Plan is a regional organization that embodies the concept of collective inter-governmental effort to strengthen economic and social development of member countries in the Asia-Pacific Region...
, Group of 24, G-20
G20 developing nations
The G20 is a bloc of developing nations established on 20 August 2003. Distinct and separate from the G-20 major economies, the group emerged at the 5th Ministerial WTO conference, held in Cancún, Mexico, from 10 September to 14 September 2003...
, G-77
Group of 77
The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has...
, the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, Next Eleven
Next Eleven
The Next Eleven are eleven countries—Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Turkey, and Vietnam — identified by Goldman Sachs investment bank and Jim O'Neill as having a high potential of becoming, along with the BRICS, the world's largest...
and the World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
(WTO).
Foreign policy
The nation is currently actively engaging with regional neighbors in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated ASEAN rarely ), is a geo-political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has...
(as a founding member) with the intention of strengthening regional harmony, stability, and prosperity. It has been a supporter of East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
since the latter's independence and has expanded trade links with its traditional allies Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Malaysia, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Relations with Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
have thawed in the 1990s after their entry into the ASEAN.
Ties to the United States have affected Filipino international relations. The Republic of the Philippines considers itself a staunch ally of the United States and has supported many points of American foreign policy. This is evident in the Philippines' participation in the Iraq War and the War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
. Speaking to this support, U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
praised the Philippines as a bastion of democracy in the East and called the Philippines America's oldest ally in Asia. President Bush's speech on October 18, 2003 was only the second U.S. Presidential address to the Philippine Congress; U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
delivered the first.
While the Philippines' relationship with the United States remains strong, the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
has sought to establish closer ties to its earlier colonizer, Spain. This was inspired by the attendance of King Juan Carlos
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
and Queen Sofía
Queen Sofía of Spain
Queen Sofía of Spain is the wife of King Juan Carlos I of Spain.-Early life and family:Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark was born in Psychiko, Athens, Greece on 2 November 1938, the eldest child of the King Paul of Greece and his wife, Queen Frederika , a former princess of Hanover...
at the June 12, 1998 celebration honoring the centennial of the Philippines' independence from Spain. President Macapagal-Arroyo made two official visits to Spain during her presidency.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines
Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force...
has been a participant in various regional conflicts, including the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Recently, the Philippines sent peacekeeping forces to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, in addition to civilian doctors, nurses and police. However, the Filipino mission was later recalled as collateral for the release of a Filipino hostage. As part of a UN Peacekeeping Operation, Philippine Army General
Philippine Army
The Philippine Army is the ground arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Tagalog is Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas. On July 23, 2010, President Benigno Aquino III appointed Maj. Gen...
Jaime de los Santos
Jaime de los Santos
Jaime de los Santos is a retired military general in the Philippines. He joined the Philippine Army in 1969 after graduating from the Philippine Military Academy with a degree Bachelor of Science in Military Engineering...
became the first commander of troops responsible for maintaining order in East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
.
The Philippines is in tension with rival international claimants to various land and water territories in the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. The Philippines is currently in dispute with the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
over the Malampaya and Camago gas fields. The two countries are also in dispute over the Scarborough Shoal
Scarborough Shoal
Scarborough Shoal or Scarborough Reef , more correctly described as a group of islands and reefs in an atoll shape than a shoal, is located between the Macclesfield Bank and Luzon, Philippines in the South China Sea. As with most of the landforms in this sea, the sovereignty of the area is disputed...
. Additionally, the Philippines has a disputed claim over the Spratly Islands
Spratly Islands
The Spratly Islands are a group of more than 750 reefs, islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South China Sea. The archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines and Malaysia , about one third of the way from there to southern Vietnam. They comprise less than four square kilometers of land...
.
Relations with other Asian nations have been strong. Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, which has been an active donor of aid, has close ties with the country. Relations with China have recently been expanded, especially with regards to the economy. The presence of a large South Korean expat community has led to the expansion of relations between the two nations. India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
has also been an important partner, as have countries outside of Asia such as Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
.
In recent years, the Philippines has been distancing itself from the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
due to its active role in the Non-aligned Movement
Non-Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement is a group of states considering themselves not aligned formally with or against any major power bloc. As of 2011, the movement had 120 members and 17 observer countries...
and the G-77
Group of 77
The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has...
. This trend is reflected in its recent positions on Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Australia
Australia PhilippinesAs concerns over terrorism in South East Asia have grown in recent years, Australia has become the second largest provider of defense training to the Philippines after the United States. In 2003, the governments of Australia and the Philippines signed a MOU
Memorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
pertaining to the combating of international terrorism and transnational crime.
Subsequently, in May 2007 on a visit to Australia by President Arroyo, Australia and the Philippines signed a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement.
Australia assisted the Philippines and the United States in battles in the Philippines during World War II.
Brazil
Brazil PhilippinesOn June 2009, The Philippines and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
made their pledges as they signed mutual cooperation agreements in the fields of bio-energy and agriculture. The two countries committed themselves to take the necessary steps to implement the signed Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Agriculture and the Memorandum of Understanding on Bioenergy Cooperation. The Philippines and Brazil signed six memoranda of understanding and agreements on the development and production of renewable energy, and agriculture cooperation. It intends to “facilitate technical cooperation... on the production and use of biofuels, particularly ethanol, and promote the expansion of bilateral trade and investment in biofuel.”
Brunei
Brunei PhilippinesOn April 2009, The Philippines and Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
signed a Memorandum of Understanding
Memorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
(MOU) that seeks to strengthen the bilateral cooperation of the two countries in the fields of agriculture and farm-related trade and investments. The MOU further strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two Southeast Asian countries, particularly in the fields of agriculture and farm-related trade and investments. The two countries have agreed to cooperate in plant science, crops technology, vegetable and fruit preservation, biotechnology, post-harvest technology, livestock, organic agriculture, irrigation and water resources and Halal
Halal
Halal is a term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law...
industry.
Canada
Canada PhilippinesPhilippine–Canadian relations officially began in 1972 when the first Canadian mission in 1949 was upgraded to a full embassy. But years before that—in the 1890s, Canadian investments had preceded Canadian diplomacy in Manila.
Trade between Manila and Ottawa has grown steadily. The Philippines is Canada’s largest agricultural-food export market in Southeast Asia. The Canadian International Development Agency works actively in the far-flung communities with local governments and nongovernmental organizations, in the areas of agricultural cooperatives, local governance and small-business development. More than 60 percent of the Canadian International Development Agency
Canadian International Development Agency
The Canadian International Development Agency was formed in 1968 by the Canadian government. CIDA administers foreign aid programs in developing countries, and operates in partnership with other Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors as well as other international organizations...
’s resources targets strife-torn Mindanao to help restore peace and rebuild lives and properties.
Croatia
Independent State of Croatia PhilippinesOn June 2009, The Philippines and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
have concluded two agreements on cooperation in the fields of culture and sports, which will pave the way for greater people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. The agreements were a Memorandum of Agreement
Memorandum of Agreement
A memorandum of agreement or cooperative agreement is a document written between parties to cooperatively work together on an agreed upon project or meet an agreed objective. The purpose of an MOA is to have a written understanding of the agreement between parties.An MOA is a good tool to use for...
on Cultural Cooperation, which aims to promote better understanding between the peoples of the two countries and a Memorandum of Understanding
Memorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
on Cooperation in the Field of Sports.
East Timor
East Timor PhilippinesThe Philippines was actively involved in the United Nations peacekeeping forces in East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
during its move towards independence. When several nations recognized East Timor's sovereignty, the Philippines began official diplomatic relations between the two governments with the establishment of an embassy in Dili.
The Philippines has pledged increased commerce and trade with East Timor and has also sought to cultivate cultural and educational exchanges. The two nations share a legacy in Asia as being the region's only states with Roman Catholic and other Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
majority populations.
Ever since East Timor's independence the Philippine Military has also supported the Military of East Timor by deploying a number of soldiers to assist in peacekeeping missions and training for the soldiers of the East Timorese army.
European Union
European Union PhilippinesThe European Union and the Philippines shares diplomatic, economic, cultural and political relations. The European Union has provided € 3 million to the Philippines to fight poverty and € 6 million for counter-terrorism against terrorist groups in the Southern Philippines
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
. The European Union is also the third largest trading partner of the Philippines with the Philippines and The European Union importing and exporting products to each other. There are at least (estimated) 31,961 Europeans (not including Spaniards) living in the Philippines.
France
Early Modern France PhilippinesDuring the centennial of the French Revolution in 1889, Rizal sought to organize a conference that called Association Internationale des Philippinistes
International Association of Filipinologists
The International Association of Filipinologists is an unaccredited international organization of Filipino and non-Filipino intellectuals established in...
was to be launched with Ferdinand Blumentritt as President and Edmond Plauchut as Vice President.
The French also permitted Philippine hero Jose Rizal to live in exile in France where he wrote the books Noli Me Tangere
Noli Me Tangere (novel)
Noli Me Tangere is a novel by Filipino polymath José Rizal and first published in 1887 in Berlin, Germany. Early English translations used titles like An Eagle Flight and The Social Cancer, but more recent translations have been published using the original Latin title.Though originally written in...
and El Filibusterismo
El filibusterismo
El filibusterismo , also known by its English alternate title The Reign of Greed, is the second novel written by Philippine national hero José Rizal. It is the sequel to Noli Me Tangere and like the first book, was written in Spanish. It was first published in 1891 in Ghent, Belgium...
. These books were also inspired by the French Literary giant Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
.
On June 26, 1947 the Philippines and France signed a Treaty of Amity which established diplomatic relations with the two countries.
French in the Philippines
There are about 700 French living in the Philippines for either education, business, work or other reasons.The French Ministry of Culture is active in promoting French Culture through its school, Alliance Française de Manille's activities. The French Embassy in the Philippines has sponsored fashion shows, film festivals, art exhibits, wine launches and numerous concerts. It is the prime mover and initiator of the annual Fete de la Musique in Manila (at one time, one of the top ten fetes in the world). There is also an Alliance Française de Cebu in Cebu City.
Greece
Greece PhilippinesThere is a Philippine embassy in Athens. Greece has an embassy in Manila and an honorary consulate general. There are around 40,000 Filipinos living and working in Greece, making them one of the largest foreign communities in Greece. In addition, it is estimated that there are over 22,000 Greeks living in the Philippines. Greece and the Republic of the Philippines also share economic and trading relations.
Early relations
Indian elements in Philippine culture point to early relations between the two societies. However, some works posit that the influx of Indian cultural elements into the Philippines is understood only in terms of the developments in the intervening regions between these two areas, the Malayan Peninsula and the Indonesian Archipelago, where there was intensified process of Indianization from the 2nd through the late 14th centuries A.D. Indian influences would have reached the Philippines from the 10th through the early 14th centuries, based on the events in these two regions, and not necessarily through direct migration from the Indian subcontinent to the Philippines. Artifacts of Indian orientation have been found in some islands of the Philippines but are not very extensive. The golden image of the female Boddhisattva which was found in Agusan, was related to the development of Buddhism in Southeast Asia dating back to the late 13th and 14th centuries. The introduction of Sanskrit words and literature may be dated to the 10th and 12th centuries. Until now, Sanskrit words are still found in abundance in various Philippine languages. Then there is the folk narrative among the Maranao, known as Maharadia Lawana which shows an Indian character and whose story is very similar to the Indian epic Ramayana.During the period 1762-1764, during the various Anglo-Spanish wars, 600 Sepoy (or native Indian) troops arrived in the Philippines as part of the military expedition of the East India Company. When the British troops withdrew, many of the Sepoys mutinied and refused to leave. They settled in what is now Cainta, Rizal. The region in and around Cainta still has many Sepoy descendants.
During the 18th century, there was robust trade between Manila and the Coromandel Coast of Bengal, involving Philippine exports of tobacco, silk, cotton, indigo, sugar cane and coffee.
Establishment of diplomatic relations
The Philippines established diplomatic relations with India on 16 November 1949. The first Philippine envoy to India was the late Foreign Secretary Narciso Ramos.Seven years after India’s independence in 1947, the Philippines and India signed a Treaty of Friendship on 11 July 1952 in Manila to strengthen the friendly relations existing between the two countries. Soon after, the Philippine Legation in New Delhi was established and then elevated to an Embassy. However, due to foreign policy differences as a result of the bipolar alliance structure of the Cold War, the development of bilateral relations was stunted. It was only in 1976 that relations started to normalize when Mr. Aditya Birla, one of India’s successful industrialists, met with then President Ferdinand E. Marcos to explore possibilities of setting up joint ventures in the Philippines. This resulted in the establishment of Indo-Philippine Textile Mills, Inc. (Indo-Phil), then the largest Indian investment in the country. Indo-Phil currently employs 2,000 Filipino workers and supplies 40% of Philippine domestic demand for yarn.
In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Philippines–India diplomatic relations and pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 1924, the month of November 2009 was proclaimed as Philippines–India Friendship Month by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The Policy Consultation Talks between the two countries was established in 2000. The talks, which are held annually and conducted by the foreign offices of the two countries on the level of senior officials, aimed at discussing bilateral issues and regional and international issues of common concern.
The first RP–India Security Dialogue was held in Manila on 12 March 2004. The Philippines and India agreed to establish a security dialogue that would serve as a policy forum for sharing security assessments and for reviewing and giving direction to cooperation in bilateral/regional security and defense matters.
Both countries also signed a Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism to complement the ASEAN-India Joint Declaration to Combat International Terrorism which was adopted by the Heads of Government and States of ASEAN and India on 8 October 2003 in Bali, Indonesia. The declaration seeks to enhance intelligence and information sharing on counter-terrorism measures, strengthen capacity-building efforts through training and education, capability and readiness, including training and technical assistance; and to continue working together in the fight against the cyber crime and terrorist misuse of cyber space.
The Trade Agreement between the Philippines and India was signed on 29 May 1979. In 1995, following the first Philippine Trade Mission to India, a Joint Working Group and a Joint Business Council were set up to assess and identify potentials for trade as well as identify new areas for collaboration. Since then, bilateral meetings have been held regularly.
Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation
The agreement to establish a Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation was signed during the State Visit to India of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on 5 October 2007. The establishment of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation aims to further strengthen and develop the cooperation in the field of trade, economic, scientific, technological and other fields of cooperation. The meeting of the Joint Commission will be co-chaired by the two countries’ Ministers for Foreign Affairs who will meet once every two years.The inaugural session of the Joint Commission was held on 15 March 2011, co-chaired by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario, and was held in New Delhi. During the meeting both sides agreed to move forward on cooperative initiatives in various fronts (trade, agriculture, defense).
Iran
Iran PhilippinesAmbassador Aladin G. Villacorte presented his Letters of Credence to H.R. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran at ceremonies held at the Presidential Palace in Tehran on September 10, 2007.
In a brief statement, Ambassador Villacorte expressed his warm felicitations on behalf of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the Filipino people, underscoring the Philippine commitment to see full range of our relations to grow and mature” particularly in the fields of trade and investment, tourism and culture.
Ambassador Villacorte also emphasized that both Philippines and Iran have collaborate on issue of global concern. “Indeed we have made significant contributions to the promotion of the better understanding among nations through interfaith dialogue and cooperation.
There is also a population of thousands of Iranians living in the Philippines
Iranians in the Philippines
There is a community of thousands of Iranians in the Philippines, including many international students drawn by the country's low-cost English education...
, mostly in Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
.
Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland PhilippinesThe Irish and the Filipinos have long had a close relationship, and are especially close in modern times. The Republic of Ireland has a sizeable Filipino community because it is a major employer of Filipino nurses in Europe.
Israel
Israel PhilippinesConsidered a key vote in the creation of a Jewish state
Jewish state
A homeland for the Jewish people was an idea that rose to the fore in the 19th century in the wake of growing anti-Semitism and Jewish assimilation. Jewish emancipation in Europe paved the way for two ideological solutions to the Jewish Question: cultural assimilation, as envisaged by Moses...
, the Philippines was the only Asian nation to vote in favor of a United Nations partition resolution on November 29, 1947. The partition resolution created the country of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in the former British Mandate of Palestine. Full diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Israel did not occur until 1957. The Philippine Embassy opened in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
in 1962; the Israeli embassy opened in Manila in the same year. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the two countries in 1997, further cementing bilateral political dialogue between the foreign ministries. There are approximately 60,000 Filipino workers, in Israel.
Japan
Japan PhilippinesSee also Japan–Philippines relations
Relations between the Philippines and Japan have rapidly improved since the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Modern relations between the Philippines and Japan are very close and Japan is a key trading, economic and possibly military ally of the Philippines. Japan has also assisted the Philippines in building tunnels, bridges and highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
s (motorway) in Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
, and is a main source of rail equipment and advisor for rail transport development. In 2005/2006 Japan dropped an US$8 billion debt with the Philippines and after the Leyte Mud slide Japan deployed soldiers to Leyte to assist Filipino and foreign workers. There are thousands of Japanese nationals/citizens (civilians) living in the Philippines (see Ethnic groups in the Philippines
Ethnic groups in the Philippines
The Philippine islands are inhabited by number of different ethnic groups. The majority of the population is composed of ethnolinguistic groups whose languages are Austronesian in origin. Many of these groups converted to Christianity, and adopted many foreign elements of culture...
for details). Japanese business people have opened a large number of businesses in the Philippines offering jobs to Filipino workers.
Malaysia
Malaysia PhilippinesPhilippines has an embassy in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, and Malaysia has an embassy in Manila. The people of the two neighboring countries speak similar languages, and have a long history of close economic and political relations. They are both founding members of ASEAN, and are important trading partners. The two countries have participated in joint conservation measures in the Sulu Sea
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago. Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast.Sulu Sea contains a number of...
, which lies between the two countries. Malaysia has assisted in peacekeeping efforts in the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
insurgency in Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
. The countries are both involved in ongoing disputes over ownership of the Spratly Islands
Spratly Islands
The Spratly Islands are a group of more than 750 reefs, islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South China Sea. The archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines and Malaysia , about one third of the way from there to southern Vietnam. They comprise less than four square kilometers of land...
and the Philippines has a claim over the Sabah
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
state in northern Borneo though this is currently not being actively pursued.
Viceroyalty of Mexico
MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and the Philippines share a myriad of traditions and customs derived from historical ties established nearly 450 years ago. Their common history dates back to the time when both countries were part of New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
. King Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
ordered the expedition known as the Legazpi exploration
Miguel López de Legazpi
Miguel López de Legazpi , also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo , was a Spanish conquistador who established one of the first European settlements in the East Indies and the Pacific Islands in 1565. He is the first Governor-General in the Philippines...
. During the Mexican administration of the Philippines, other than General Legazpi
Miguel López de Legazpi
Miguel López de Legazpi , also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo , was a Spanish conquistador who established one of the first European settlements in the East Indies and the Pacific Islands in 1565. He is the first Governor-General in the Philippines...
, all of the governor-generals were born in Mexico. Due to the grand exchange with the Philippines in those days, many cultural traits were adopted by one another, with Mexicans remaining in the Philippines, and Filipinos establishing in Mexico, particularly the central west coast, near the port town of Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
. Many Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
words were adopted and popularized in the Philippines, such as Tianggui (market fair) and Zapote (a fruit).
Establishment of diplomatic relations
After the colonial period, the first official contacts of Mexico with the Philippines were established in 1842, when a Mexican Representation was opened in Manila. With the assignment of Mexican Diplomat Evaristo Butler Hernandez in the Philippines in 1878.The Independence of the Philippines brought forth a new era of relations between the two countries. Mexico dispatched an envoy to participate in the festivities to celebrate the birth of the Southeast Asian nation. Diplomatic ties between both countries were formalized on April 14 of 1953. The year of 1964 was decreed the "Year of Philippine-Mexican Friendship" to celebrate the Fourth Centennial of the Expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi. In modern day, the conquest of the Philippines is seen as a Spanish initiative, while Mexicans view it as a historical link of brotherly friendship, and several groups intend on strengthening relations between the two countries.
Mexico has an embassy in Manila, and the Philippines has an embassy in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. Both countries share a multitude of bilateral agreements including cooperation in Science, Technology, Cutlure, Tourism, Education, and the fight against illegal drug trafficking and abuse. There is currently an initiative to distinguish the long lasting relation by formalizing the Filipino section of Mexico City's Chinatown
Chinatown, Mexico City
Mexico City’s Chinatown, known locally as Barrio Chino, is located in the downtown area of Mexico City, near the Palacio de Bellas Artes. It is very small, encompassing only two blocks on Dolores Street and consists of a number of restaurants and businesses that import goods...
by creating Barrio Manila or Barrio Filipino(Little Manila) in or near the current area within Downtown Mexico City.
Netherlands
Netherlands PhilippinesThe Netherlands is currently one of Philippines most important trading partners within the EU. The two have shared major trading partnership back to when the Philippines was a Spanish colony.
New Zealand
PhilippinesKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
.
There are over 16,000 Filipinos residing in New Zealand and in turn there are 2,000- New Zealanders in the Philippines.
The Philippines has an embassy in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
and 2 other consulates, one in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
.
Law Enforcement
The New Zealand police is currently helping the Philippine National PolicePhilippine National Police
The Philippine National Police is the national police force of the Republic of the Philippines. It is both a national and a local police force in that it does provides all law enforcement services throughout the Philippines...
combat methamphetamine. The New Zealand Police also helps in providing training to the Philippine National Police
Philippine National Police
The Philippine National Police is the national police force of the Republic of the Philippines. It is both a national and a local police force in that it does provides all law enforcement services throughout the Philippines...
.
North Korea
North Korea PhilippinesIn 2000, the Philippines and North Korea finally established diplomatic relations after more than 20 years of negotiations, although trade between the two countries is almost non-existent, as they both still have a trade embargo.
In 2007, the agreement was boosted further and was signed by Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo and North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun during the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Manila.[34]
Philippines has a representation in Pyongyang, thru embassy in Beijing; and North Korea has a representation thru its embassy in Bangkok.
Pakistan
Pakistan PhilippinesThe official visit by Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
President
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
to the Philippines on April 18, 2005 signaled increased relations between the two nations. Four agreements were signed in the presence of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and visiting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in the presidential palace:
- a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on combating terrorism and certain other crimes;
- an agreement on the abolition of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports and the facilitation of issuance of entry visas to holders of official passports;
- an agreement on program of cultural exchanges from 2005 to 2009, calling for the implementation of various exchanges in the cultural information materials, performing arts and the promotion, conservation, restoration of historical and cultural patrimony; and
- a MOU formalizing the business agreements between the Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC) and United Marketing of Pakistan for the supply of pharmaceuticals from Pakistan to support the low-cost medicines program of the Philippine government.
Apart from the four agreements, President Musharraf also assured Pakistan's full support for the Philippine government's efforts to end the decades old rebellion in the southern islands of Mindanao.
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea PhilippinesOn March 2009, The Philippines and Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
entered into a Memorandum of Understanding
Memorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
(MoU) that would enhance the cooperation between the two countries on the development of fisheries. The MoU will facilitate technology transfer in aquaculture development, promotion of shipping ventures, investments, technical training, joint research, and “strategic complementation” of each country’s plans in the “Coral Triangle” – or the waters between the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands. The fisheries trade is significantly responsible for recent overall trade growth between the Philippines and Papua New Guinea.
People's Republic of China
Mainland China PhilippinesThe Philippines and China established diplomatic relations on June 9, 1975 with the signing of the Joint Communiqué by leaders of the two countries. Since then bilateral relations between the two countries have developed steadily despite some difficulties. Both countries have maintained high level contacts and exchanges.
Several major bilateral agreements were signed between the two countries over the years, such as: Joint Trade Agreement (1975); Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement (1978); Postal Agreement (1978); Air Services Agreement (1979); Visiting Forces Agreement (1999); Cultural Agreement (1979); Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (1992); Agreement on Agricultural Cooperation (1999); Tax Agreement (1999); and Treaty on Mutual Judicial Assistance on Criminal Matters (2000). In May 2000, on the eve of the 25th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, the two countries signed a Joint Statement defining the framework of bilateral relations in the 21st century.
Bilateral relations between the Philippines and China have significantly progressed in recent years. The growing bilateral relations were highlighted by the state visit to China of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on 29–31 October 2001. During the visit, President Arroyo held bilateral talks with top Chinese leaders, namely President Jiang Zemin, NPC Chairman Li Peng, and Premier Zhu Rongji. President Arroyo also attended the 9th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting held in Shanghai on October 20–21, 2001, where she also had bilateral talks with President Jiang.
During President Arroyo's visit, eight important bilateral agreements were signed.
Russia
Russia PhilippinesPhilippine ambassador to Moscow, Russia Ernesto V. Llamas, reported to the Department of foreign affairs that the Philippines and Russia observed 30 years of formal, diplomatic relations on June 2, 2006, through an exchange of top-level officials in the mass media and a recognition
of initiatives in the field of politics, economics, culture and tourism. Llamas said that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged official messages in the two countries' leading newspapers, The Philippine Star and Lzvestia. As of 2007, the Russian ambassador to the Philippines is Vitaly Y. Vorobiev.
Russia has an embassy in Manila. The Philippines has an embassy in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and two honorary consulates (in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
and Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
).
Other Economic Relations
Russian Ambassador to the Philippines said on Tuesday, April 24, that Russia is laying the infrastructure to become a major oil supplier to Asian countries and is considering proposals to build an oil refinery and storage facilities in the Philippines to serve Southeast Asia. Southeast Asian countries have expressed interest in Russia's plans to become an important energy provider in the region and Moscow should carefully plan how it could assume that crucial role, Ambassador Vitaly Vorobiev told foreign correspondents.OFW Situation
Due to a sharp increase in the number of Filipino nationals being sought to work in private homes throughout Russia, the Philippine Government has deemed it necessary to impose new requirements on the direct hiring of Filipino housekeepers and nannies in Russia in order to secure their well-being through placement in qualified households as well as ensure the engagement of only competent staff.South Korea
South Korea PhilippinesSouth Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
is one of the Philippines' largest trading partners. The two nations were especially close as the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force...
, under the United Nations command of Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
, were pledged to fight for South Korea and its allies in the Korean War. Last November 21, President Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
visited the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
during the Korea - Philippine Business forum together with President Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III , also known as Noynoy Aquino or PNoy, is a Filipino politician who has been the 15th and current President of the Philippines since June 2010....
.
Spain
Spain PhilippinesThe Philippines was the lone Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
colony in Asia for almost three and a half centuries. There continues to be mixed feelings between many Filipinos
Filipinos
Filipinos is the brand name for a series of biscuit snacks made by Kraft Foods. In Spain and Portugal they are produced and sold under the Artiach brand name. Under license to United Biscuits, in the Netherlands they are sold and produced locally under the Verkade brand...
towards Spain and the common negative resentment most Filipinos have towards colonial mentality
Colonial mentality
Colonial mentality is an area of study and a conceptual theory in Cultural anthropology that refers to institutionalized or systemic feelings of inferiority within some societies or people who have been subjected to colonialism, relative to the values of the foreign powers which had previously...
that have been ingrained in many Filipinos, but relations have improved significantly over the years since after independence. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
concluded her second state visit in Spain in July 2006, bringing along millions of dollars of Spanish investments, particularly in Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
. The Spanish king, Juan Carlos I
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
, also reiterated in Mrs. Arroyo's visit, his support for her project in the Philippines to re-establish Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
as an official language in the country. He and his wife, Queen Sofia
Queen Sofía of Spain
Queen Sofía of Spain is the wife of King Juan Carlos I of Spain.-Early life and family:Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark was born in Psychiko, Athens, Greece on 2 November 1938, the eldest child of the King Paul of Greece and his wife, Queen Frederika , a former princess of Hanover...
attended the 1998 centennial celebrations in Manila, commemorating 100 years of independence from Spain. The mediation of King Juan Carlos I is said to have produced the pardon and liberation of 2 Filipina domestic workers sentenced to death in Kuwait and the UAE.
Republic of China
Republic of China PhilippinesThe Philippines recognize the One China Policy but has relations to the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(ROC, also known as Taiwan) through the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila. Both offices were established in 1975 and were organized as non-profit and non-stock private corporations.
Total Investment Amount: US$1.1 billion (Taiwan is the 5th largest foreign investor in the Philippines)
Philippine Exports to Taiwan: US$3.1 billion
Philippine Imports from Taiwan: US$2.3 billion
OFWs in Taiwan: 87,000 (the 2nd largest foreign worker nationality group in Taiwan)
Trips to the Philippines by Taiwanese: 73,000 people (the 5th in foreign tourist arrivals in the Philippines)
By early March 2011, the Philippines deported 15 Taiwanese drug pushers to Beijing,China. The ROC protested with this action. The Philippine government sent Manuel Roxas II to talk with ROC President Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
. During the visit, Roxas mentioned that the Philippines "regret" their actions. But the ROC maintained that the Philippines apologize for their action. The mission failed, so a second one was sent, headed again by Roxas. The mission, however, failed. From then on, ROC-Philippine relations became strained. But now the ROC and Philippines are back to normal.
United Kingdom
United Kingdom PhilippinesThe UK and the Philippines have good relations. On 2002 President Arroyo and the then Prime Minister Tony Blair met to talk about Poverty and Terrorism. Then on December 2007 President Arroyo met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to talk about the situation of Filipinos in the UK.
The Philippines has been one of the UK's major recruitment countries for nurses and over 80,000 Filipino nurses and care-givers work in the UK. The total Philippine community in the UK is estimated to be about 150,000. There are estimated to be some 15,000 British nationals living in the Philippines. About 65,000 British nationals visit the Philippines annually.
The UK has also supplied the Philippine military with the Simba APC
Simba (APC)
The Simba is a wheeled armoured personnel carrier. It was designed by GKN Sangkey and is currently in service with the Philippine Army...
, Alvis Scorpion Tank
FV101 Scorpion
The FV101 Scorpion is a British armoured reconnaissance vehicle. It was the lead vehicle and the fire support type in the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance , CVR, family of seven armoured vehicles...
, and the Peacock class patrol vessel
Peacock class patrol vessel
The Peacock Class is a class of patrol corvette built for the Royal Navy. Only five were ever constructed, and by 1997 all had been sold to the Irish Naval Service or the Philippine Navy.-Original use:...
.
United States
United States Philippinessee Philippines–United States relations
The United States and the Philippines continue to show significantly great relations between each other. The United States was the architect of the current form of government in the Philippines through a series of acts of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
towards the creation of a commonwealth. The relationship between the two nations is founded on the Philippines' history as an American territory and commonwealth before achieving independence.
The two societies also share some cultural identities: the plans of Manila and Baguio City
Baguio City
The City of Baguio is a highly urbanized city in northern Luzon in the Philippines. Baguio City was established by Americans in 1900 at the site of an Ibaloi village known as Kafagway...
were designed by Daniel Burnham
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
of Chicago, Illinois, Americans and Filipinos speak the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, are largely Christian, and both have a fondness for baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. The two share political heroes: William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
and Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
Theodore D. Roosevelt, Jr. , was an American political and business leader, a Medal of Honor recipient who fought in both of the 20th century's world wars. He was the eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt from his second wife Edith Roosevelt...
both served as Governors-General of the Philippines
Governor-General of the Philippines
The Governor-General of the Philippines was the title of the government executive during the colonial period of the Philippines, governed mainly by Spain and the United States, and briefly by Great Britain, from 1565 to 1935....
and Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
liberated the islands from the Japanese during World War II.
A largely Roman Catholic country, the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
appointed several Americans as bishops of the various Philippines dioceses during the territorial and commonwealth years, including leadership over the Archdiocese of Manila. In 2007, Benedict XVI appointed an American to be his ambassador to the Philippines, Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
Conflict
Shortly after the conclusion of the Spanish-American WarSpanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
and the transfer of sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
over the Philippines from Spain to the United States via the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1898)
The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was signed on December 10, 1898, at the end of the Spanish-American War, and came into effect on April 11, 1899, when the ratifications were exchanged....
which ended that war, the insurgent
Insurgent
Insurgent, insurgents or insurgency can refer to:* The act of insurgency-Specific insurgencies:* Iraqi insurgency, uprising in Iraq* Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, uprising in India* Insurgency in North-East India...
First Philippine Republic
First Philippine Republic
The Philippine Republic , more commonly known as the First Philippine Republic or the Malolos Republic was a short-lived insurgent revolutionary government in the Philippines...
government declared war on the United States. The Philippine-American War
Philippine-American War
The Philippine–American War, also known as the Philippine War of Independence or the Philippine Insurrection , was an armed conflict between a group of Filipino revolutionaries and the United States which arose from the struggle of the First Philippine Republic to gain independence following...
ended with the loss of more than 4000 American soldiers, and the deaths of up to 1,000,000 Filipinos. In the US, this war is largely forgotten, or remembered simply as the aftermath of the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. In the Philippines, it is remembered as a patriotic struggle for independence, and for the brief institution of the First Philippine Republic.
Embassy and consulates
The Philippines Embassy is located in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
With the geographic enormity of the United States and its large number of Filipino resident alien
Resident Alien
Resident Alien is the debut album from the British glam rock band Spacehog. Released by Elektra Records on 24 October 1995, the album was certified as gold on 29 July 1996 and included the hit single "In the Meantime", which reached the top of the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the United States,...
s, the Philippines established several official consulates: Agana, Chicago, Honolulu
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, New York City, Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
and San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. Honorary consulates were opened in other locations. Each official consulate has jurisdiction over a number of U.S. states. For example, the Consul in Chicago oversees a territory of fourteen states in the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
.
Military alliance
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, the United States has had a military presence in various forms in the Philippines. Filipinos fought alongside Americans in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Today, the two are allies in the War on Terrorism
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
. While its military bases were closed during the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel "Eddie" Valdez Ramos , popularly known as FVR, was the 12th President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. During his six years in office, Ramos was widely credited and admired by many for revitalizing and renewing international confidence in the Philippine economy.Prior to his election as...
, the United States continues to adhere to the Mutual Defense Treaty ratified by the United States and Philippines senates in 1951.
In 2003, U.S. President George W. Bush declared the Philippines as a major non-NATO ally
Major non-NATO ally
Major non-NATO ally is a designation given by the United States government to close allies who have strategic working relationships with US armed forces but are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization...
, an important defense designation of the United States. Now defunct, the Philippines joined the American-developed South East Asia Treaty Organization during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. SEATO was a NATO-type military alliance created to combat Communist threats in Southeast Asia.
Today, the two countries are primarily partners in counterterrorism. Both the Philippines and the United States share intelligence and engage in military exercises in Mindanao and RIMPAC
RIMPAC
RIMPAC, the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, is the world's largest international maritime exercise. Conducted biennially , it is hosted and administered by the United States Navy, with the United States Marine Corps, United States Coast Guard, and Hawaii National Guard forces under the leadership of...
in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
The Philippines and the United States supported each other in wars such as:
- The Spanish-American WarSpanish-American WarThe Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
- World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
- World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
- Hukbalahap RebellionHukbalahapThe Hukbalahap , was the military arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines , formed in 1942 to fight the Japanese Empire's occupation of the Philippines during World War II. It fought a second war from 1946 to 1954 against the pro-Western leaders of their newly independent country...
- The Korean WarKorean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
- Communist Insurgency in the Philippines
- The Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
- Gulf WarGulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
- War in Kosovo
- War on TerrorWar on TerrorThe War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
- Insurgency in the Philippines
- Operation Enduring Freedom - PhilippinesOperation Enduring Freedom - PhilippinesOperation Enduring Freedom – Philippines or Operation Freedom Eagle is part of Operation Enduring Freedom and the U.S. Global War on Terrorism. About 600 U.S. military personnel are advising and assisting the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the Southern Philippines...
- 2003 Invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
Mutual Defense Treaty
The Mutual Defense Treaty Between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America was signed and ratified on August 30, 1951 in Washington, D.C. between representatives of the Philippines and the United States. The overall accord contained eight articles and dictated that both nations would support each other if either the Philippines or the United States were to be attacked by an external party.
Visiting Forces Agreements
The Philippines has bilateral agreements with the United States and with Australia relating to the status of visiting forces.
Vietnam
Vietnam PhilippinesEver since the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
relations between the Philippines and Vietnam has warmed rapidly. Today the Philippines and Vietnam are economic allies and have a free trade deal with each other. Both nations are a part of Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated ASEAN rarely ), is a geo-political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has...
(ASEAN) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region...
(APEC). The Philippines and Vietnam have conducted joint military exercises together in the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
and are trying to find ways to turn the Spratly Islands
Spratly Islands
The Spratly Islands are a group of more than 750 reefs, islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South China Sea. The archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines and Malaysia , about one third of the way from there to southern Vietnam. They comprise less than four square kilometers of land...
from an area of conflict to an area of cooperation. Vietnam is also sometimes called the only communist military ally of the Philippines. The Philippines and Vietnam are also monitoring China's expansion into the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
making sure that China is no threat to either Philippine or Vietnamese islands in the South China Sea. The Philippines also imports a large amount of writing material, clothes and other products from Vietnam. On May 2009, The Philippines has inked an agreement with Vietnam to cooperate in the fight against crimes and ensuring social order. On January 2010, the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vietnam bourse “for mutual collaboration and communication of information and experience” to facilitate the development and efficient operations of both securities markets.
International disputes
The Spanish Administration governed various Pacific island colonies from Manila. These include the present-day Caroline IslandsCaroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Northern Marianas Islands, Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
and parts of Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
, all of which were given separate administrations under American oversight after Spain transferred power to the United States in accordance with the Treaty of Paris. Spanish Manila also governed possessions in Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, Halmahera
Halmahera
Halmahera is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia.Halmahera has a land area of 17,780 km² and a population in 1995 of 162,728...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Pulau Ternate and Pulau Tidore, all of which transferred to non-American entities after the Spanish-American War.
While the transfer of power after Spanish colonial rule was made clear through treaties, other territories' sovereignty were not as clear. Many of those disputes continue today.
Sabah
SabahSabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
, the largest region which the Philippines claim, is now an integral part of Malaysia. On January 23, 1878, Sulu Sultan Jamalul Alam leased his territory in Borneo, in which is now Sabah, to Austrian Gustavus von Overbeck. The Sultan was paid 5,000 Ringgit
Ringgit
Ringgit mostly refers to the Malaysian ringgit, which is the local currency in Malaysia, but it can also refer to the Brunei dollar or Singapore dollar in the Malay language. The word ringgit was originally used to refer to the serrated edges of Spanish silver dollars widely circulated in the area...
every year for the lease. In 1920, despite calls made by Washington to London regarding Sabah, the latter was still made a crown colony of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. On September 16, 1963, the United Kingdom formally ceded Sabah to Malaysia. Philippine Presidents Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Pangan Macapagal was the ninth President of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth Vice President, serving from 1957 to 1961. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives, and headed the Constitutional Convention of 1970...
and Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
openly claimed Sabah. The latter even ordered Sabah to be put into the Philippine map. Despite challenges of the Philippine government to bring the matter of the dispute to the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
(ICJ), Malaysia still rejects those calls. During 2003, violent mass deportations of illegal Filipinos residing in Sabah resulted in more clamor for the Sabah claim. Up to this day, Malaysia still pays the annual rent of 5,000 Malaysian Ringgit to the Sultan's heirs.
Scarborough Shoal
The Scarborough ShoalScarborough Shoal
Scarborough Shoal or Scarborough Reef , more correctly described as a group of islands and reefs in an atoll shape than a shoal, is located between the Macclesfield Bank and Luzon, Philippines in the South China Sea. As with most of the landforms in this sea, the sovereignty of the area is disputed...
(Panatag Shoal), located west of Palauig, Zambales
Palauig, Zambales
Palauig is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Zambales, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 30,747 people in 5,945 households....
, are claimed by the Philippines, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. Currently, a Philippines naval fleet guards the area. The Philippines bases its claim on its close proximity of the Scarborough Shoal to the Philippines. It also says that the Scarborough Shoal is within the Filipino Exclusive Economic Zone
Exclusive Economic Zone
Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...
and argues terra nullius
Terra nullius
Terra nullius is a Latin expression deriving from Roman law meaning "land belonging to no one" , which is used in international law to describe territory which has never been subject to the sovereignty of any state, or over which any prior sovereign has expressly or implicitly relinquished...
. A Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
map dated as early as 1279 is the basis for the claim of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. They argue that the area was historically used by their fishermen.
Spratly Islands
The Spratly IslandsSpratly Islands
The Spratly Islands are a group of more than 750 reefs, islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South China Sea. The archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines and Malaysia , about one third of the way from there to southern Vietnam. They comprise less than four square kilometers of land...
are a group of islands, reefs, and rocks located about 300 kilometers West of Aborlan, Palawan
Aborlan, Palawan
Aborlan is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. It lies in a vast plain between the Sulu Sea and the mountains. It is located 69 kilometers south of Puerto Princesa City...
. The Philippines, along with the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
, Malaysia, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
expressed claims. The Philippines officially staked a claim to some of the islands during the United Nations convention, although it was first expressed in 1956, when Tomas Cloma
Tomas Cloma
Tomás Cloma was a Filipino lawyer and businessman from the province of Bohol. Cloma was born in Panglao to Ciriaco Cloma, a Spanish settler, and Irena Arbolente, a native of Bohol....
, a Philippine mariner, officially declared some of the eastern Spratlys as a protectorate of the Philippines. Based on proximity and on the United Nations Archipelagic Doctrine, the Philippines can claim some of the Spratlys as an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Whether these arguments (or any other used by the Philippines) would hold up in court is debatable but possibly moot, as the PRC and Vietnam seem unwilling to legally substantiate their claims and have rejected Philippine challenges to take the dispute to the World Maritime Tribunal in Hamburg.
Sulawesi Sea Islands
The case of SipadanSipadan
Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising from the seabed. It is located in the Celebes Sea off the east coast of Sabah, East Malaysia . It was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop...
and Ligitan
Ligitan
Ligitan is a small island in Tawau, Sabah, located east of the island of Borneo, in the Celebes Sea. In the past, the island was at the centre of a territorial dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia...
, which were in dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia, was taken into the ICJ, in which the former won. Sipadan and Ligitan are technically part of Sabah state, and thus would be part of the claim of the Sulu Sultanate
Sulu Sultanate
The Sultanate of Sulu Dar al-IslamSometimes known as the Royal Sultanate of Sulu or Sultanate of Sulu Darul Islam. was an Islamic Tausūgstate that ruled over many of the islands of the Sulu Sea, in the southern Philippines and several places in northern Borneo. The sultanate was founded in 1457...
's heir, the Philippines.
Illicit drugs
The country, an archipelago, serves as breeding ground for locally produced marijuanaCannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
and hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
and is possible that it is illegally shipped to East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and other Western markets; serves as a transit point for heroin and crystal meth
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
amphetamine.
See also
- Territories claimed by the PhilippinesTerritories claimed by the PhilippinesThe Republic of the Philippines had claimed many lands throughout its history. These include the Spratly Islands, Sabah, Scarborough Shoal, Benham Plateau, Palmas or Miangas Island, the Sangir Islands, Orchid Island, Marianas Islands and Caroline Islands....
- List of diplomatic missions in the Philippines
- List of diplomatic missions of the Philippines