United States, Philippines hold third Maritime Dialogue in Manila

On 24 October, the Philippines and the United States held their third Maritime Dialogue in Manila, emphasizing their commitment to upholding international law as enshrined in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Both sides highlighted the significance of the 2016 arbitral ruling on the West Philippine Sea.

First launched in 2022, the Maritime Dialogue serves as a platform to strengthen maritime policy and operational coordination between the U.S. and the Philippines.

The recent talks, led by Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Maritime and Ocean Affairs Marshall Louis Alferez and U.S. Department of State Deputy Assistant Secretary Mahlet Mesfin, included reviews of current cooperative efforts and discussions on addressing shared maritime challenges, particularly in the West Philippine Sea.

Key areas of focus included enhancing maritime law enforcement cooperation, building capacity for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), addressing climate change and sea level rise, and combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUUF).

The dialogue included participants from both nations’ defense, justice, foreign affairs, security, fisheries, environment, and law enforcement sectors, such as Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for American Affairs Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga, Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary for Maritime Julius Yano, National Security Council Assistant Director General Francis Jude Lauengco, PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, and U.S. Department of State Deputy Assistant Secretary Brandon Yoder.

During the event, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement announced P450 million ($8 million) in new funding for the modernization of the PCG. This funding aims to support PCG infrastructure, training programs, and resource acquisition and management planning.

Both governments agreed to reconvene the Maritime Dialogue during the 11th Philippines-United States Bilateral Strategic Dialogue in Washington, D.C., in April 2024 to further build on the progress of prior exchanges and discussions.