Philippines and India: Heralding hope of a strategic partnership
President Marcos Jr's visit merits attention for several reasons:
First, this is the first visit by Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, ever since his election in 2022. His four-day visit will be marked by a host of meetings between Indian officials and his high-level delegation, including at least 10 cabinet-level ministers, including finance, defence, law and justice. The last Presidential visit was by his predecessor, President Duterte, who was India's guest during the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit and Republic Day celebrations in January 2018.
The Philippines has since changed course in foreign policy, drawing closer to its Western ally, viz., the United States and expanding partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. Even prior to taking over as President, Marcos Jr had signalled that his foreign policy would be neither one of strategic servility to the West nor driven by fruitless flirtation with China. The President demonstrated that the appropriate policy was to simultaneously pursue close ties with all major regional powers. The BrahMos deal with India, making the Philippines India's first international customer for this advanced missile system, tied the two nations into a pivotal relationship.
Second, the India visit is timed barely two weeks after the President's visit to the United States, signalling the significance of ties with New Delhi. President Marcos was grateful to the US for being assured of support for its defence sector, which is the cornerstone of their relationship. While the United States is its key ally, securing India's maritime cooperation cannot be overlooked.
India's MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Region) vision provides it with the responsibility to showcase its indigenous capabilities as a naval power. Hence, the Indian Navy's latest, indigenously designed, hydrographic survey ship, the INS Sandhayak, will make a goodwill visit to the Philippines after completing its first visit to Port Klang in Malaysia from July 16-19, 2025.
Additionally, the first-ever joint bilateral maritime exercise or Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) will be held between the navies of India and the Philippines on August 3-4, in the West Philippine Sea. Prior to this, the two navies had conducted only passing exercises (PASSEX). However, in an interview with the Philippine News Agency, Indian ambassador to the Philippines, Harsh Kumar Jain, was quoted as saying, 'Given the high importance of the maritime sector for both our countries, we can expand our cooperation to include joint exercises in maritime security and disaster response.' Cooperation between coast guard navies is also required for maintaining peace and order in the region, as well as dealing with piracy or trafficking.
Evidently, the Philippines seeks to shore up its naval capabilities to defend itself against constant attacks by Chinese militia boats and coast guard vessels.
Third, the Philippines is also considering the purchase of Akash short-range missiles, as well as ALH Maritime Reconnaissance Helicopters. Built by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, these helicopters help with long-range reconnaissance, surveillance, search and rescue operations. The Philippines is one of the most severely disaster-affected countries in the world, due to its vulnerability to climate change, exacerbated by frequent typhoons and flooding.
Fourth, India's rising global stature embeds opportunities for investment and collaborations in diverse sectors. India's FICCI, in collaboration with the Philippine Trade and Investment Centre in New Delhi (PTIC-Delhi), will organise the Philippines-India Business Forum. The Delegation is expected to be hosted in Bangalore for meetings with major IT companies, including Wipro, TCS, Infosys, among others.
Moreover, the Philippines will possibly invite major Indian firms for joint collaborations in cutting-edge production and innovation opportunities in the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC). This corridor, which will connect Subic Bay, Clark, Manila, and Batangas with high-impact infrastructure projects including ports and railways, is being developed with assistance from Japan and the United States. When completed, it will position the Philippines as a key hub for export manufacturing firms.
Fifth, the Philippines has a huge appetite for investments, especially for its infrastructure sector; viz., ship repair, railway construction and port building, in which India is an emerging leader. The Marcos Jr government is continuing its strong focus on infrastructure spending, as evidenced by the proposed P6.793 trillion budget for 2026. This is 7.4 per cent higher than the 2025 program and comprises 22 per cent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP).
Interestingly, the Philippines' infrastructure push is necessitated due to its worsening ties with China. Although it had received a commitment of USD 30.5 billion from China in official development assistance over the period 2015 to 2023, the amount disbursed remained limited to barely USD 700 million. Hence, with receipts of barely one-twentieth of the amount committed by China, several projects remained stalled.
Sixth, trade will also feature on the agenda. With the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement (AIFTA) review yet to be completed, and key exports from the Philippines to the United States impacted by 19 per cent tariffs, India's huge market must be tapped.
Seventh, with direct flights due to commence from New Delhi to Manila in October 2025, the Philippines will strive to attract Indian tourists. The visa-free policy was already announced in June 2025, which permitted Indian citizens to enjoy a visa-free stay in the Philippines for up to
14 days.
The possibilities for cooperation are numerous. Other sectors to feature in the discussions will be fintech cooperation, digitalisation in healthcare and education, renewable energy, co-production of defence equipment, environmental preservation, prevention of illegal and terrorist activity, strengthening people-to-people relations and leveraging diasporic connections. Possibilities will eventually become realities when these two fast-growing nations of Asia elevate their friendship to a Strategic Partnership.
As ASEAN Chair in 2026, President Marcos Jr will host Prime Minister Modi. With a shared destiny in the Indo-Pacific as upholders of the rule of law, their unshakeable bonds of friendship will further cement India-ASEAN ties.
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