Philippines
India and the Philippines established diplomatic relations on 26 November 1949, shortly after gaining independence. In recent years, their bilateral ties have progressed significantly with a focus on shared developmental goals. India's Look East Policy (1992) and Act East Policy (2014) with the vision for the Indo-Pacific with ASEAN Centrality has great synergy with Philippines own approach to the region aimed at realizing a safe, secure, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Recent regional developments highlight the need for closer cooperation, paving the way for enhanced bilateral relations in areas such as foreign policy, security, trade, health, and culture.
Cooperation to tackle the challenge of COVID-19 Pandemic
- Ambassador to India with leaders of Indian Community organisations handed over nearly US$ 250,000 worth of face masks for COVID19 frontlines to Cabinet Members Secretary Lorenzana and Secretary Galvez in Manila on 9 April 2020.
Capacity Building & Other Exchanges
- Philippines is one of the beneficiaries of India’s flagship Development Cooperation programme for capacity building - the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC).
- Till date, more than 1000 Filipino professionals have availed of the courses offered. Total 57 Filipino officials benefited from the ITEC courses in the FY 2023-24.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, 17 and 108 Filipino professionals, in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 respectively, participated in several e-ITEC courses. Courses on Electoral Technology, Environmental Impact Assessment, Renewable Energy, Natural Resource Management and Public Health Management Development and Introduction to Ayurveda were among the popular courses in the Philippines.
- India offers scholarships, tuition fee waivers to students from the Philippines under its ‘Doctoral Fellowship for India in ASEAN’ programme and the ‘Study in India’ programme.
- In May 2021, an MoU was signed between Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and Ateneo De Manila University, Manila to promote exchanges in the field of disaster studies. Similarly, an MoU between the Indian Maritime University and Batangas State University was signed on 11 November 2022 to enhance Blue Economy and Maritime cooperation in the academic domain.
Development Cooperation (Grants/ LoCs/ Assistance)
- India has been offering humanitarian assistance to the Philippines from time to time. In February 2006, in the aftermath of massive rock slide-debris avalanche in the province of Southern Leyte, which led to death toll of 1,126, Govt. of India provided around 28 tons of relief material worth USD 260,000. In December 2006, GOI donated USD 250,000 for relief and rehabilitation of communities affected by super typhoon Reming/Durian that had resulted in 1399 deaths.
- Following the tragic loss of life, livelihood and property as a result of typhoon Pablo/Bopha, which struck southern Philippines in December 2012, the Government of India provided disaster relief assistance of USD 200,000 to the Philippines Government and USD 100,000 as disaster relief assistance following the October 2013 earthquake in Bohol. India also sent 15 tonnes of relief material in the aftermath of the super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) which occurred in November 2013.
- India provided immediate relief assistance of USD 500,000 (equivalent to 25 million pesos) in July 2017 for the relief and rehabilitation efforts underway in the city of Marawi which had come under siege on 23 May 2017, when armed terrorists belonging to the Maute group with reported allegiance to ISIS took over the city.
Quick Impact Projects (QIPs)
- To further enhance development cooperation, both countries signed an Agreement regarding Indian grant assistance for implementation of Quick Impact Projects (QIP) on 7 Feb 2023, which opened for the first time a regular grant funding window for the Philippines. • Both sides have mutually agreed on 6 QIPs in the sectors of Agri, Health and Capacity Building for the year 2024.
