Foreign relations of the Philippines

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 Southeast Asian neighbors, United States, and the Middle East.[1] The Philippines is a founding member of the United Nations[2] an elected member of the Security Counsil[3] and participant in the 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.[4]

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.[5]

In November 2001, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made an ambitious foreign policy pronouncement entitled “The Eight Realities of Philippine Foreign Policy”[6] The policy statement highlights the government’s objectives to contain domestic and international terrorism and address the country’s underdevelopment by enhancing its economic competitiveness in the global market. It also contains bold diplomatic gambits such as balancing the major powers (United States, Japan and China) in East Asia against each other to ensure national security. Specifically, it intends to strengthen the US-Philippine alliance, and to enlist Washington’s support for the country’s internal security agenda. It also expresses reliance on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other multilateral organizations to advance rhe Philippines, security and economic goals.[7]

However, the Philippine state’s internal weakness has thwarted the country’s pursuit of its strategic objectives. The policy goals have unleashed latent tensions and conflicts in the conduct of Philippine foreign relations. These include the government’s reinvigorated military/security ties with the US, amidst the vocal and chronic anti-American sentiments in Philippine society; the country’s desire to play an active role in regional and global security versus the political exigency to resolve its internal conflicts.[8]

Together with the eight foreign policy realities outlined by the President, Republic Act No. 7157, otherwise known as "Philippine Foreign Service Act of 1991", gives mandate to the Department of Foreign Affairs to implement the three pillars of the Philippine Foreign Policy, as follows: Preservation and enhancement of national security, Promotion and attainment of economic security, Protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare and interest of Filipinos overseas.[9] These pillars overlap and cannot be considered apart from each other, they reinforce each other and must be addressed as one whole.

Our foreign relations should always abide with our Constitution and should benefit our country and contribute to the enhancement of our national security and the protection of the territorial integrity as well as our national sovereignty and to increase international understanding of Philippine culture for mutually-beneficial relations with other countries.[10]

---

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_the_Philippines

[2] Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations, archived from the original on 2007-12-24

[3] The Philippines and the UN Security Council, Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations,

[4] Id.

[5] Id.

[6] President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s speech at the Manila overseas Press Club (MOPC), “ThePresident’s Night,” (Manila: Office of the President, 6 August, 2004)

[7] Weakness and Gambits in Philippine Foreign Policy in the Twenty-first Century  by Renato Cruz De Castro

[8] Id.

[9] Republic Act No. 7157 "Philippine Foreign Service Act of 1991"

[10] http://www.dfa.gov.ph/index.php/articles/mission-vision