SINGAPORE — Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo is hopeful the discussions on the Law of the Sea at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue here would pave the way for further collaboration among the many centers of expertise in the region.

Manalo made the remarks after discussing several matters on the Law of the Sea with an international lawyer on the sidelines of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue.

In a social media post, Manalo said he met with Prof. Robert Beckman, an international lawyer with particular expertise in legal skills, at the National University of Singapore-Center for International Law.

The IISS Shangri-La Dialogue is recognized as Asia’s leading defense summit. This unique forum allows ministers to debate the region’s most urgent security challenges, engage in significant bilateral discussions, and develop new strategies collaboratively.

“Hopeful that our discussion on #InternationalLaw, inc. the #LawOfTheSea, could pave the way for further collaboration, esp. among the many centers of expertise in our region,” Manalo said on X.

As a state party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Philippines has consistently advocated for an international rules-based order, particularly in addressing regional tensions and conflicts.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will deliver the keynote address at this year’s defense summit, marking the first time a Filipino president will do so.

Meanwhile, the Philippines, through the DFA has condemned the latest satellite launch of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea where it used ballistic missile technology.

In a statement on Friday, the DFA said such a move “provokes tensions and undermines economic progress, peace, and stability in the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region.”

“The Philippines has repeatedly called on the DPRK to comply with its international obligations under relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and to commit to constructive and peaceful dialogue with the RoK (Republic of Korea),” it said.

“The Philippines has consistently supported the call for a complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the DPRK,” it added.

Earlier this week, North Korea reportedly launched a rocket to deploy its second spy satellite which exploded shortly after liftoff.

On Thursday, it fired a barrage of suspected ballistic missiles toward its eastern sea, a move condemned by South Korea and Japan.