In an interview, Josel Francisco Ignacio, the Philippine ambassador to India, stated that defense cooperation is a crucial component of expanding bilateral relations.
He pointed out that India and the Philippines share common ground on important security concerns and that the defense cooperation being pursued goes beyond simply purchasing military hardware.
Purchasing defense hardware from India is only one facet of a broader defense partnership. That is also growing and rising pretty quickly. We have military training and schooling. In an interview with ThePrint here in the nation’s capital, Ignacio said, “I am pleased to report that we have Filipino cadets in Dehradun and Chennai in Indian military academies.”
“Defence to defense and military to military dialogue, exchanges of views on issues of common concern, also play an important part in this relationship,” the Philippine ambassador continued. I’m pleased to inform our viewers that the defense relationship is expanding in a number of ways.
In January 2022, New Delhi and Manila inked a $374.6 million agreement to export BrahMos, a shore-based anti-ship cruise missile. The agreement was the Indian defense industry’s first significant foreign export order. The missiles can travel 290 kilometers.
The Philippines received the first shipment of launchers and missiles from India in April 2024. But specialists in the field of strategic security have questioned Manila’s ability to control such weapons, including
The BrahMos missile systems are a “important element” of the country’s defense modernization strategy and deterrent capabilities, but they are only one component of its overall archipelagic defense plans, Ambassador Ignacio clarified in response.
The ambassador stated, “We are happy that India has emerged as one of those partners in our defense modernization, and we intend to work with a multitude of partners to build our deterrent capabilities.” “Of course, it goes beyond just buying equipment; we also want to increase our capacity for upkeep, operation, and improvement.”
Additionally, India and the Philippines will commemorate 75 years of their relationship in November 2024. The ambassador expressed his expectation that later this year there will be a visit by a high-level delegation.
In recent months, Manila has seen a series of confrontations with China in the South China Sea. In June, the Philippines claimed that a Filipino sailor was seriously injured in a high-speed ramming incident by the Chinese coast guard. Beijing rejected Manila’s claims and alleged that it was the Philippines ship that approached its coast guard vehicle in a deliberate and unprofessional manner.
“The tensions have sort of become of great concern recently. There have been moves by the Philippines to de-escalate as our President himself has articulated. We are of course talking to partners. Our relationship, our dialogue with partners, our exchange of views with partners form an important element of our diplomacy on the South China Sea issue,” explained the Philippine ambassador to ThePrint.
Manila has witnessed several clashes with China in the South China Sea in recent months. The Philippines reported in June that the Chinese coast guard had rammed a Filipino sailor at great speed, causing serious injuries. Beijing denied Manila’s allegations, claiming that the Philippines ship deliberately and unprofessionally approached its coast guard vehicle.
“Recently, the tensions have kind of grown really concerning. As our President has stated, the Philippines has taken steps to defuse the situation. Naturally, we are speaking with partners. An essential component of our diplomacy regarding the South China Sea problem is our relationship, communication, and exchange of opinions with allies,” the Philippine envoy stressed to
“We are very happy that India is a part of that circle of our very close friends with whom we regularly exchange views and provide some information by which we can mutually benefit so that we can create a larger picture of what we confront in the larger Indo-Pacific,” he continued.
The Second Thomas Shoal claims are the main source of conflict in the South China Sea. An arbitral tribunal declared in 2016 that China’s historical claims and actions in the area were illegal, ruling in favor of the Philippines. Manila’s stance on the matter is supported by India.
In some ways, state-to-state relations are almost dictated by the mentality of the populace. Similar problems and themes tend to strengthen and establish bonds between states as well.
The envoy also clarified that Manila and New Delhi are seeking to strengthen their economic relations, which includes forming a working group to explore ways to expand their financial technology collaboration.
According to figures released by the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, commerce between India and the Philippines reached historic highs of $3.5 billion in the fiscal year 2023–2024. The entire proportion in India’s total trade is only 0.21 percent, despite a 15% growth from the previous year.
“[Trade ties] are relatively small compared to the US and even our ASEAN neighbors.” We recognize that we still have a lot of space to increase commerce in the medium future. For this reason, we
Ignacio clarified that the two nations began negotiating terms of reference for a preferential trade agreement (PTA) in 2020 in order to begin economic relations. He added that the two nations are “very close” to concluding the terms of reference talks and beginning the talks on certain “product” lines.
