This article sets out the political relationship between India and the Philippines: the establishment of diplomatic ties, visits by leaders and ministers, the dialogue mechanisms that structure the relationship and the main legal treaties. It is based on the MEA brief of April 2026 and describes the position as of that date.

Establishment of diplomatic relations

India and the Philippines formally established diplomatic relations on 26 November 1949. According to the MEA brief of April 2026, this came shortly after both countries gained independence. The brief describes the bilateral relations as warm and rooted in historical ties and shared democratic values, with cooperation spanning defence, trade, investment and cultural exchange.

The two countries celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations from November 2024 to November 2025. The commemorative milestones of that year are listed further below.

Strategic Partnership of 2025

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. paid a State Visit to India from 04-08 August 2025 with a high-powered delegation comprising 14 key Secretaries, senior officials and a large business delegation. He called on Rashtrapatiji and held restricted and delegation-level talks with the Prime Minister on 05 August. EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar and Shri J. P. Nadda, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, called on the President.

During the visit, India-Philippines relations were elevated to a Strategic Partnership, and a Plan of Action (2025-2029) to implement the Strategic Partnership was adopted. The opening paragraph of the brief refers to the upgraded ties as a comprehensive strategic partnership.

A further 12 MoUs, Agreements and Treaties were concluded during the visit. The brief lists their sectors as follows:

  • defence
  • space
  • science & technology
  • trade
  • digital technologies
  • culture
  • tourism
  • mutual legal assistance in criminal matters
  • transfer of sentenced persons

The sector agreements are described in the other articles of this guide, and the two legal treaties in the practical guide.

High-level visits

The brief lists the following visits by Indian leaders to the Philippines:

  • Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi, 1981
  • President R. Venkatraman, 1991
  • President Abdul Kalam, 2006
  • Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, 2007
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 2017
  • President Shri Ram Nath Kovind, 2019

Visits by Philippine leaders to India listed in the brief are:

  • President Ferdinand E. Marcos, 1976 (stop-over visit)
  • President Fidel Ramos, 1997
  • President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, 2007
  • President Rodrigo Duterte, January 2018
  • President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., August 2025

Before the State Visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. met on the sidelines of the 21st ASEAN-India Summit in Vientiane in October 2024. They had also met on the sidelines of the 20th ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta in September 2023.

Ministerial contacts

Minister of State for External Affairs Shri Pabitra Margherita visited the Philippines from 13-15 January 2025 and called on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Secretary of Foreign Affairs (SFA) Enrique A. Manalo. EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with the SFA in New Delhi when the latter visited India from 17-19 March 2025 to attend the 10th Raisina Dialogue.

Shri Pabitra Margherita met the SFA again on 10 July 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, where the two co-chaired the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting. EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar met his counterpart, SFA Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, in New York during the 80th UNGA on 22 September 2025.

Earlier ministerial engagements recorded in the brief include:

  • a bilateral meeting between EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar and SFA Enrique A. Manalo on the sidelines of the NAM Summit in Kampala in January 2024
  • a visit to the Philippines by EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar in March 2024
  • a meeting of the two foreign ministers on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers Meeting in Vientiane in July 2024
  • a visit to the Philippines by Mr. Nityanand Rai, Minister of State (Home), for the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in October 2024

Milestones of the 75th anniversary

A number of activities were organised to mark the 75th anniversary in 2024-2025. EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar and the Philippines Ambassador to India, Mr. Josel F. Ignacio, unveiled the official logo for the anniversary at a reception in New Delhi on 13 November 2024. The visit of Shri Pabitra Margherita to the Philippines in January 2025 formed part of the celebrations.

A bust of the National Hero of the Philippines, Dr. José P. Rizal, was unveiled in New Delhi on 19 March 2025 during the visit of SFA Enrique A. Manalo. The Indian Council of World Affairs published a book on 75 years of India-Philippines relations.

In August 2025, during the State Visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. jointly issued a commemorative stamp on the theme of the national flowers of the two countries. According to the brief, the celebrations culminated with the Golden Peacock Award Ceremony for excellence in government service, organised by FICCI-Philippines.

Dialogue mechanisms

The umbrella bilateral mechanism is the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), co-chaired by the External Affairs Minister of India and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. As of April 2026, it had met five times: in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2020 and on 29 June 2023 in New Delhi.

At official level, Policy Consultation Talks/Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) have been held regularly since 1994, and Strategic Dialogues (SD) since 2004. The 14th FOC and the 5th SD were held on 9 September 2024 in New Delhi. Sectoral working groups and defence committees are covered in the articles on trade, development cooperation and culture.