MODULE 6: FOREIGN RELATIONS

• • Article II, Section 2: “The Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy, adopts the generally accepted principles of international law as part of the law of the land and adheres to the policy of peace, equality, justice.”
• • Article II, Section 7: “The State shall pursue an independent foreign policy. In its relations with other states the paramount consideration shall be national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest, and the right to self-determination.”
• Republic Act No. 7157


  Also known as "Philippine Foreign Service Act of 1991"
• Mandate of the Department of Foreign Affairs


  To implement the three (3) pillars of the Philippine Foreign Policy
• Three (3) pillars of the Philippine Foreign Policy


  • Preservation and enhancement of national security
  • Promotion and attainment of economic security
  • Protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare and interest of Filipinos overseas
• These eight foreign policy realities


  • China, Japan and the United States and their relationship will be a determining influence in the security situation and economic evolution of East Asia
  • Philippine foreign policy decisions have to be made in the context of ASEAN
  • The international Islamic community will continue to be important for the Philippines
  • The coming years will see the growing importance of multilateral and inter-regional organizations to promote common interests
  • As an archipelagic state, the defense of the nation's sovereignty and the protection of its environment and natural resources can be carried out only to the extent that it asserts its rights over the maritime territory and gets others to respect those rights
  • The country's economic policy will continue to be friendly to both domestic and foreign direct investments
  • The Philippines can benefit most quickly from international tourism
  • Overseas Filipinos will continue to be recognized for their critical role in the country's economic and social stability
• • President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly declared that his administration “will pursue an independent foreign policy.”; subject of various discussions.
  • In a televised interview last 3 April 2017, the new Philippine top diplomat to China, Ambassador Jose Santiago “Chito” Sta. Romana, provided a more detailed account of the elements of Duterte’s independent foreign policy and how it would figure in the broader strategic environment.
• • Ambassador Sta. Romana noted that the larger context of Philippine foreign policy is the emerging power shift in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • “[W]hat we are seeing right now, is the rise of a power in Asia and we are seeing the decline of the dominant power that used to dominate the region since the end of World War II.”
  • Having lived and worked in Beijing for many years as a journalist, Sta. Romana witnessed China’s transformation from poor country into a “major regional power.”
• Independent foreign policy

  Three major tenets:
• First tenet

  1. Separation of Philippine foreign policy from the US

  2. Does not mean totally cutting off from the US

  3. Lessening Manila's dependence on Washington

  4. Maintaining "historic alliance" with America
• Second tenet

  1. Improvement of relations with China

  2. Does not mean shifting to an alliance with China

  3. Focusing on economic cooperation

  4. Exploring ways of lowering tensions over maritime disputes
• Third tenet

  1. Improvement of relations with non-traditional partners (Russia, Japan, India)

  2. Maintaining the centrality of ASEAN
• Mindful of the immense power disparity between China and the Philippines, Sta. Romana stressed that the key to lowering tensions in the SCS is not the use of "mega phone diplomacy." Rather, calming down tensions is accomplished using "bilateral quiet diplomacy." Because of the complex nature of the SCS dispute, Sta, Romana argued that the Philippines must be "realistic that some things need time to solve."
• The academic Cheng-Chwee Kuik defined hedging as “an insurance-seeking behavior under high-stakes and high-uncertainty situations, where a sovereign actor pursues a bundle of opposite and deliberately ambiguous policies vis-à-vis competing powers to prepare a fallback position should circumstances change.” The objective is to “acquire as many returns from different powers as possible…while simultaneously seeking to offset longer-term risks….". Hedging appears to guide the foreign policy of the Duterte administration, especially in the South China Sea (SCS).
• Foreign Relations


  also known as international relations, refer to the interactions, dealings, and relationships between countries or governments on a global scale. These interactions encompass a wide range of political, economic, social, cultural, and military activities
• Department of Foreign Affairs before martial law was

  responsible for promoting and protecting the Philippines' interests in the international arena, fostering diplomatic relations, and providing consular services to Filipino citizens worldwide.
• APEC


  Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
• RA 7157


  Foreign Service Act of 1991 was signed into law by former president Aquino, which instituted a Career Minister Eligibility Examination
• Article II, Section 7


  Mandates that the Philippines should pursue an independent foreign policy, and that in our relations with other states, the paramount consideration should be national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest, and the right to self-determination.
• PHILIPPINE EMBASSY


  serves the consular needs of the Filipino community outside the Philippines. Generally, by law, regulation and treaty, the Embassy serves as an adjunct of the Philippine Government in the overall task of promoting and protecting the national interests of the Philippines and its citizens in the areas/localities under the Embassy jurisdiction
• 68 Embassies and 125 Consulates
• Article 7 of Section 7 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution


  Department of Foreign Affairs is mandated to implement the Republic Act No. 7157, other wise known as the “Philippine Foreign Service act of 1991, following 3 pillars of Philippines Foreign Policy,namely:

  1. Preservation of National Security

  2. Promotion of Economic Security

  3. Protection of Overseas Filipinos