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).
+ Trust rating of Three countries, July 2020Country Much trust Undecided Little trust M-L60 19 18 +42 49 25 22 +27 22 18 58 -36
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 Foreign Service Officer Examination (FSOE) . 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:
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Bilateral relations
Asia Country Formal relations began NotesPresident of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received the credentials of the incoming Filipino ambassador to Azerbaijan, Marilyn Jusayan Alarilla. During a meeting following the ceremony, the ambassador conveyed Filipino President Benigno Aquino III's greetings to the Azerbaijani leader. She noted the Philippines was interested in developing the cooperation with Azerbaijan in different areas, including energy, science and technologies. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said there was potential for developing Azerbaijan–Philippines relations in many spheres, particularly the economic one. October 6, 2025 Prior to the formalization of ties, numerous senators and high-profile dignitaries from the Philippines have visited Bhutan and have expressed their intentions to spread the Gross National Happiness doctrine in the Philippines, seeing it as an effective and efficient way to enhance nation-building, environmental conservation, cultural propagation, and human rights. In September 2014, the Prime Minister of Bhutan visited the Philippines and the Asian Development Bank headquarters in Manila.
In 2014, officials of the Royal Government of Bhutan visited the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center of the Philippines to gain insights about the country's PPP Program.In April 2009, The Philippines and Brunei signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that sought to strengthen their bilateral cooperation in the fields of agricultural trade, innovation, 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. The Philippines voted in favor of UN Resolution 181 concerning the partition of Palestine and the Creation of the State of Israel in 1947. The Philippines was among the 33 countries who supported the creation of Israel and the only Asian country which voted for the resolution.July 23, 1956The Philippines and Jordan agreed to establish formal diplomatic relations and to exchange ambassadors on March 1, 1976.Diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and the Philippines were formally established on March 19, 1992. The Philippines maintains relations with Kazakhstan through its embassy in Russia. Kazakhstan has an honorary consulate in Manila.
Trade between Kazakhstan and the Philippines amounted to 7.3 million U.S. dollars during the period from January to November 2010. In 2009, about 1,500 Kazakh tourists visited the Philippines. As of 2009, there are about 7,000 Overseas Filipino Workers who are working in Western Kazakhstan, mostly in the oil and gas sector. Kazakhstan is seeking Filipino investment in its economy.
On 2011, Kazakhstan was planning to put up a Kazakh house in the Philippines in either Bonifacio Global City or Makati to showcase Kazakh products and promote its tourist destinations. There were also plans to put up a Philippine House in Kazakhstan for the same purpose and to put Filipino art exhibits in Kazakhstan.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, and his 27 delegates arrived in the Philippines for a three-day state visit on November 10, 2003, at Villamor Air Base in Pasay. The Kazakh officials met with their Filipino counterparts and conducted meetings. Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo met with Nazarbayev to finalize the Philippines' intent to import oil and coal from Kazakhstan and discussed possible infrastructure projects in the Central Asian country.
The Philippines also supported Kazakhstan's bid to become a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum on security.The Philippines and Nepal established diplomatic relations on February 12, 1960. Both countries are members of the Non-Aligned Movement. There are about 300 Filipinos living in Nepal, mainly missionaries, professionals, skilled workers, volunteers, or spouses of Nepalese or other nationals as of March 2011. Approximately 500 Nepalese students are studying in the Philippines for their higher-level education. 1989 The Philippines was among the 138 countries that voted in favor of the United Nations resolution recognizing Palestine as a non-member state. The Philippines was the fifth state to recognize the Republic of Korea and the first ASEAN country to establish relations with South Korea.The Republic of the Philippines formally established diplomatic relations with the Syrian Arab Republic on September 4, 1946. The Philippines has an embassy in Damascus. Syria has an consulate in Manila.N/A (Formal relations rescinded in 1975)The Philippines recognizes the One-China policy but has informal relations with the Republic of China (ROC, also known as Taiwan) through the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila. See Philippines–Turkey relations Philippines has an embassy in Ankara. Turkey has an embassy in Manila. Trade volume between the two countries was US$219.7 million in 2015 (Filipino exports/imports: 115.7/104 million USD). 2,200 Philippine nationals are residing in Turkey.