PHILIPPINES-INDIA BILATERAL RELATIONS

Establishment of Philippines-India Diplomatic Relations

The Philippines established diplomatic relations with India on 16 November 1949. Both countries signed a Treaty of Friendship on 11 July 1952 in Manila to strengthen and perpetuate the friendly relations between the two countries. Soon after, the Philippine Legation in New Delhi was established and then elevated to an Embassy. The Philippines’ first ambassador to India was Narciso G. Ramos.

The Philippines has long recognized the strategic significance of its bilateral relations with India. This can be gleaned from the fact that distinguished Ambassadors have served as Heads of the Mission of its Embassy in New Delhi, such as Ambassador Narciso G. Ramos (1951-1956), who would, later on, become Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 1966 to 1968, and Ambassador Leon Ma. Guerrero, who was a well-known writer and served in New Delhi from 1966 to 1972.

Several high-level visits from the Philippines have also been hosted and/or facilitated by the Embassy. These visits paved the way for both countries to maintain and bolster their bilateral relations through various exchanges. Among these significant visits include that of former President Fidel Ramos to India on 02-05 March 1997, the first Philippine Head of State who undertook such a visit; the official visit of then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on 04 to 06 October 2007; and the visit of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte to India on 24 to 26 January 2018 to attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and India's Republic Day Celebrations. The latter resulted in various agreements to promote trade, economic, and defense cooperation between the two countries.

The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi projects the country's diplomatic representation in India, vital in maintaining and strengthening the Philippines and India's long-standing bilateral relations, as well as in identifying new areas of cooperation, whether in the traditional avenue such as trade, economics, defense, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, or in the latest segment of collaboration, such as in digital technology, fintech, health, among others, underpinned by shared democratic principles and ideals anchored on rules-based international order.

Below is the list of Ambassadors who have served as the Philippines Head of Post (HoP) in New Delhi:

Chancery and Location

The Chancery of the Embassy of the Philippines in New Delhi and the Ambassador’s Residence was inaugurated on 05 September 1969.

The Embassy is located at 50-N Nyaya Marg, in the Diplomatic Enclave in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, with an area of roughly 2.5 hectares of lot acquired through the Government of India under the perpetual lease agreement signed by the two countries in 1958. The Embassy is located strategically at the center of the Diplomatic Enclave, which also hosts various foreign embassies and missions and serves as the official residence of some politicians and civil servants of the Indian government.

Exchange of Visits and High-Level Engagements:

1.  Philippine Vice President Diosdado Macapagal visited India in 1961.
2. Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited the Philippines in 1981.
3. Indian President R. Venkatraman visited the Philippines in 1991.
4. Philippine President Fidel Ramos visited India on 02- 05 March 1997.
5.  Indian President Abdul Kalam visited the Philippines on 03-06 February 2006.
6. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo visited India on 04-06 October 2007.
7. Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh visited Cebu, Philippines, on 14 January 2007 for the ASEAN-India and the East Asia Summit.
8. Philippine Vice President Jejomar C. Binay led a high-powered delegation, which included former DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario, to India on 20-21 December 2012 to attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and the 2nd ASEAN-India Business Fair and Conclave.
9. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a bilateral meeting with President Aquino of the Philippines on 13 November 2014 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, at the sidelines of the ASEAN-India/EAS Summit.
10. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Philippines to attend the 31st ASEAN Summit and the 12th East Asia Summit in Manila from 12 to 14 November 2017. President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Prime Minister Modi had a bilateral meeting, followed by the exchange of MoUs on 13 November 2017.
11. President Rodrigo R. Duterte visited India from 24 to 26 January 2018 to attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and India’s Republic Day Celebrations. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting at Hyderabad House, New Delhi, on 24 January 2018, wherein both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in trade and investment, health, defense, and people-to-people exchanges, among others. Relative to this, the following MOUs had been signed:

Exchanged of MoUs, MoAs, and Agreements

1. On 22 October 1949, the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of India relating to Air Services was signed in New Delhi;
2. On 07 July 1952, the Treaty of Friendship between the Republic of the Philippines and the Republic of India was signed by Foreign Secretary Joaquin Miguel Elizalde for the Philippines and Foreign Affairs Secretary M.R.A. Baig for India in Manila;
3. On 06 September 1969, the Cultural Agreement between the Philippines and India was signed in New Delhi;
4. On 29 April 1991, the MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Agricultural Science and Technology between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of India was signed in Manila under Article 3 of the Basic Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation signed on 8 April 1987 in Manila;
5. On 29 April 1991, the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of India for Cooperation for Utilization of Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes was signed in Manila. The agreement shall remain in force for a period of five years. It will be automatically renewed from year to year unless in any agreement year notice to the contrary is given by either Government three months before the date of its expiry;
6. On 25 November 1992, the Philippines and India ratified an Agreement for Cooperation for the Utilization of Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes;
7. On 21 March 1995, the Philippines and India signed the Philippines and India signed Executive Program of Cultural Exchanges for the period 1995- 1997;
8. On 03 March 1997, an MoU between the Department of Trade and Industry of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Small Industries Corporation Limited of the Republic of India was signed;
9. On 04 March 1997, an MoU on Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the Government of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of India was signed in New Delhi. The MoU was valid for three (3) years and can be automatically extended for another three (3) years;
10. On 28 January 2000, the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of India for the Promotion and Protection of Investments was signed in Makati;
11. On 28 November 2000, an MoU on Policy Consultation Talks between the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India was signed in Manila;
12. On 12 March 2004, the Philippines and India concluded an Extradition Treaty in Manila.
13. On 04 February 2006, an Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism between the Government of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of India was signed in Manila.
14. On 04 February 2006, an MoU on Cooperation in Agriculture and Related Fields between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of India was signed in Manila.
15. On 04 February 2006, an Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of India concerning Defense Cooperation was signed in Manila.
16. On 05 October 2007, an Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of India on the Exemption of Visa Requirements for Holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports was signed in New Delhi.
17. On 05 October 2007, an Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of India on the Establishment of a Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation was signed in New Delhi.
18. On 05 October 2007, the Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Energy Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of the Renewable Energy Republic of India on Enhanced Cooperation in the Field of Renewable Energy was signed in New Delhi.
19. On 05 October 2007, an MoU between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of India on Cooperation in the Field of Health and Medicine was signed in New Delhi.
20. On 05 October 2007, a Declaration on a Framework of Bilateral Cooperation was signed in New Delhi.
21. On 05 October 2007, the Philippines-India Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism was signed in New Delhi.
22. On 15 March 2011, the Executive Program of Cultural Exchange between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of India for 2011-2013 was signed in New Delhi.
23. During the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Philippines to attend the 31st ASEAN and EAS Summits in Manila from 12 to 14 November 2017, the Philippines and India signed the following MoUs on 03 November 2017 in Manila: MoU on Cooperation in Agriculture and Related Fields, Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Industry and Logistics Cooperation, Memorandum of Understanding Between the Foreign Service Institute of the Philippines (FSI), Manila, and the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), India, Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Between Bureau of Small and Medium Enterprise Development.
24. During President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s visit to India to attend the ASEAN- India Commemorative Summit and Republic Day Celebrations from 24 to 26 January 2018, the following MoUs were exchanged between the Philippines and India.
25. MOU between the Boards of Investments of the Republic of the Philippines and In the vest India of the Republic of India aims to facilitate direct investment through the cooperation between the Philippine Board of Investments and the Invest India of the Republic of India.
26. Pre-signed MOU (Extension) between the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), India, and the IT and Business Processing Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) aims to facilitate direct investments by providing practical investment information to enterprises, assistance to visiting investors, and support in the promotion of investments between the two parties.
27. Philippines and India signed on 27 September 2021 a new and modernized Air Services Agreement, which aims to promote international services between the two (2) countries, advance a quality global aviation system, and ensure the highest degree of air safety.
28. On 24 April 2022, then Philippine Ambassador to India Ramon S. Bagatsing, Jr. and India’s Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Vivek Johri, signed an Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters.

Working Group Meetings/Other Meetings

1. The Policy Consultation between the Philippines and India was established in 2000. The consultation, which is held annually and conducted by the foreign offices of the two countries on the level of senior officials, is aimed at discussing bilateral, regional, and international issues of common concern.
2. On 12 March 2004, the 1st Philippines-India Security Dialogue was held in Manila. One of the highlights of the first security dialogue was the signing of the RP-India Extradition Treaty by Department of Justice Acting Secretary Ma. Merceditas N. Gutierrez and Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Navrekha Sharma.
3. On 14 to 15 March 2011, then Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario and Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Smt. Preneer Kaur led the inaugural meeting of the 1st Philippines-India Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation Meeting (JCBC) held in New Delhi.
4. On 11 July 2013, the 1st Meeting of the India-Philippines Joint Working Group on Renewable Energy was held in New Delhi.
5. On 21 October 2013, then Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid led the delegations to the 2nd Philippines-India Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) Meeting held in Manila.
6. On 05 March 2015, then Undersecretary Evan P. Garcia and Secretary (East) Anil Wadhwa led delegations to the 11th PH-India Policy Consultations and 2nd Strategic Dialogue held in Manila. The 2nd PH-India Joint Consular Consultation Meeting (JCCM) was convened on the same date.
7. On 14 March 2015, Undersecretary Evan P. Garcia led the Philippine delegation to the 17th ASEAN-India Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) held in New Delhi.
8. On 14 October 2015, then Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario and Indian Minister of External Affairs, Honorable Sushma Swaraj, led the delegations during the 3rd Philippines-India Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) held in New Delhi.
9. On 27 February 2017, Undersecretary for Policy Enrique A. Manalo led the Philippine delegation to the 12th Philippines-India Policy Consultations and 3rd Philippines-India Strategic Dialogue.

10. On 06 to 09 August 2017, Minister of State for External Affairs, Gen (Retd) V.K. Singh, visited Manila to attend the ASEAN India / 7th East Asia Summit / 24th ASEAN Regional Forum/10th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Meeting. He had a bilateral meeting with then Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano.
11. On 09 March 2018, a Bilateral Meeting between Department of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was held at the Ministry of Defense, South Block, New Delhi.
12. On 19 to 20 April 2018, the Philippines hosted the 3rd Joint Philippines India Working Group on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the field of Health and Medicine Meeting in Manila.
13. On 25 to 30 June 2018, the 1st Philippines - India Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) on Defense Industry and Logistics Cooperation was held in Mumbai and New Delhi. The Philippine delegation was headed by Assistant Secretary for Logistics and Acquisition Jesus R. Abella of the Department of National Defense.
14. On 11 to 12 July 2018, the Philippines-India Air Consultation Talks were held in Manila to discuss the updating and modernizing of the Philippines- India Air Services Agreement, the expansion of air traffic rights, and the capacity for the designated airlines of both countries, among others.
15. On 03 August 2018, then Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano and Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Vijay Kumar Singh met at the sidelines of the 51st ASEAN Ministers’ Meeting in Singapore.
16. India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM), Dr. S. Jaishankar, visited the Philippines in February 2022. He held a bilateral meeting with then Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr.
17. Then Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. led the Philippine Delegation to the 7^th Edition of the Raisina Dialogue held on 25-27 April 2022 in New Delhi. Secretary Locsin also held a bilateral meeting with EAM Jaishankar at the sideline of the said Forum.
18. Philippines Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Antonio A. Morales led the Philippine Delegation to the Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM), and Philippine Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel R. Espiritu led the Philippine Delegation to the 24^th ASEAN-India Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) held on 15-17 June 2022 in New Delhi, India.
19. The Philippines hosted the PH-India 13^th Policy Consultations, and the 4^th Strategic Dialogue held on 17-18 August 2022, respectively. The PH Delegation was led by Philippines Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, while the Indian Delegation was led by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (East) Saurabh Kumar.

Defense Cooperation

The Memorandum of Agreement on Defense Cooperation, signed on 04 February 2006, provides a legal framework for enhancing cooperation between defense agencies and armed forces of the two countries and is a key component in elevating bilateral relations to a more strategic level.

Philippines and India enjoy robust defense cooperation, which has expanded to other areas of strategic interest over the years. Foremost was the signing on 28 January 2022 of a USD 374 million contract on the Philippines’ acquisition of India’s BrahMos Shore-based Anti-Ship, which was considered a milestone for both countries and could pave the way for continued strengthening of PH-India’s defense cooperation and closer engagements.

Economic and Trade Cooperation

In 2021, India was the 13^th trading partner of the Philippines, the 14^th export market, and the 12^th import source. The total bilateral trade between the two countries was USD 2.99 billion.

On investment in 2021, India ranked as PH’s 21^st source, with its total investments amounting to Php95.98 million. The Philippines continues to welcome foreign direct investments from India, especially in the sector of IT-BPM, automotive, agro-processing, copper, textiles and garments, and clinical research and trials.

Philippines Trade Relations with India

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippines had a total of USD 1.8 billion in imports from India in 2022 compared to USD 2.2 billion in 2021. Philippines exported a total of USD$580.10Million in 2022 compared to USD$735.50Million in 2021. There has been a -20.9% change in total trade between the Philippines and India over the past two years.

India Investments and Remittances to the Philippines

*Conversion 1US$=50 PhP

India Tourist Arrivals in the Philippines