Foreign relations of the Philippines

The foreign relations of the Philippines are administered by the President of the Philippines and the Department of Foreign Affairs. Philippine international affairs are influenced by ties to its Southeast Asian neighbors, China, the United States, and the Middle East.

The Philippines is a founding member of the United Nations; an elected member of the Security Council and participant in the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Labour Organization (ILO), UNESCO, and the World Health Organization (WHO). 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 Association of Caribbean States (as an observer). It was formerly a member of the now-defunct Latin Union and the 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 a 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).

Foreign policy

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 Philippines actively engages 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.

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.

With a robust relationship to the United States, the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo 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.

In recent years, the Philippines attaches great importance in its relations with China, and has established significant cooperation with the country.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has participated 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. 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 Camago and Malampaya gas fields. The two countries are also in dispute over the Scarborough Shoal. Additionally, the Philippines has a disputed claim over the Spratly Islands.

The Philippines maintains strategic partnerships with Australia, India, Japan, South Korea, United States, and Vietnam.

Recruitment of Foreign Service Officers

The Department of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Civil Service Commission conducts an annual recruitment of would-be career diplomats called . With application deadlines typically falling on October or November, it is a sequential series of written (initial - typically held late January of early February, second - essay types on various topics related to Philosophy, Politics, Economics, history, diplomacy, foreign policy typically on middle of a calendar year), psychological and oral (debates, impromptu speeches) examinations typically done over a period of several months to over a year. An initial interview around April, months after the initial written examination seems to have been removed from the proces as of the 2025 cycle. Some quarters say that it is one if not the most difficult eligibility examination in the country, even harder than the Bar Exam that there would be years where no one among the initial applicants passed all the way through the conclusion of an annual cycle. The initial criteria for eligibility isn't that stringent - an applicant only has to have a/any Bachelor's degree and had worked/be formally employed for at least two years. Successful applicants enter the government service as "Foreign Service Officer Class IV" with a starting base pay of approximately PHP 85,000 as of 2025 .

For the 2024-2025 cycle, the Department held a 2nd cycle of recruitment with an earlier than normal deadline of September 18 2025 - for those who already passed the written exam (even from years prior - as the eligibility is forever*) and perhaps failed &/or did not push through with the succeeding parts.

*Except if revoked for the putative reasons of "moral turpitude", fraud on the application, or for cause when already entered the service.

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which the Philippines maintains diplomatic relations with:

Bilateral relations

Asia

Africa

Americas

Europe

Oceania

Relations with former states

Multilateral relations

Issues

See also

• Territories claimed by the Philippines
• List of diplomatic missions in the Philippines
• List of diplomatic missions of the Philippines
• List of diplomatic visits to the Philippines
• List of ambassadors to the Philippines

External links

• December 5, 2006, at the Wayback Machine