Philippines Envoy Calls India One of Manila’s “Top Partners and Friends”; Highlights Defence, Tech and Strategic Cooperation

Nov 2025 : The Philippines Ambassador to the United States, Jose Manuel del Gallego Romualdez, has praised the growing India-Philippines partnership, describing New Delhi as “one of Manila’s top partners and friends.”

Speaking at a private event in Washington on Wednesday evening, Romualdez pointed to the BrahMos missile deal as a major milestone in the countries’ expanding defence ties. “We look at India now as one of our top partners and friends. They have been very supportive of the Philippines… We are actually buying quite many defence equipment like BrahMos and are also working with India on the technology side,” he said.

His remarks come days after the Philippine Marine Corps publicly showcased the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system, signalling the operational integration of the weapon into Manila’s coastal defence network.

The USD 375 million contract, signed in 2022 with India’s BrahMos Aerospace, provides the Philippines with missiles capable of striking targets up to 290 kilometres, significantly bolstering deterrence amid rising tensions in the South China Sea. The system is currently operated by the Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile Battalion, a key component of the Philippines’ broader military modernisation programme.

Romualdez also highlighted the momentum generated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to India in August, describing it as “very fruitful.” “Our President had a recent state visit to India not too long ago. It was a very fruitful visit that we had. So, we look forward to working with India,” he said.

During the five-day visit, Marcos held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders, culminating in the announcement of an upgraded strategic partnership between the two nations. The new framework seeks to deepen cooperation in defence, trade, maritime security, technology, and connectivity.

Both sides also agreed to expand collaboration in space, tourism, culture, and digital technologies. Among the key initiatives was India’s support for a pilot project to build the Philippines’ Sovereign Data Cloud Infrastructure. India also invited Manila to join the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), which enhances maritime domain awareness.

The meeting further saw the adoption of Terms of Reference to begin negotiations on a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) aimed at boosting bilateral commerce.

After the talks, PM Modi said both countries were “committed to peace, security, prosperity, and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.” President Marcos echoed this, expressing Manila’s desire “to work with India for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Team Maverick.