(AseanAll) —The Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America reaffirmed their enduring alliance at the 12th Philippines-United States Bilateral Strategic Dialogue (BSD), held in Manila on 16 February 2026,according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines.
The Philippine side was co-chaired by DFA Undersecretary for Policy Leo Herrera-Lim and DND(Department of Defense of the Philippines) Undersecretary for Strategic Planning and Assessment Ignacio Madriaga. The US side was represented by Department of State Assistant Secretary for Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael George DeSombre and Department of War Assistant Secretary for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs John Noh.
The BSD had simultaneous working group discussions on the various areas of cooperation, and were led by Philippine senior officials from the Department of Defense, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Justice, and Department of Foreign Affairs, with their US counterpart government agencies.
Among others, in 2026, both sides committed to:
Hold the fifth “2+2” Ministerial Dialogue, to be hosted by the United States;
•Hold the first Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) Investment Forum in Manila to drive new investments and unleash additional private sector opportunities, in coordination with Japan and other likeminded partners;
•United States to provide $1.5 million to build an SMR control room simulator in the Philippines;
•United States to provide $250 million to support health security of the Filipino people;
•Deepen diplomatic and law enforcement cooperation to combat cybercrime, online scam centers, and the production and trafficking of illicit synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals;
•Agreed to hold a foreign minister-level trilateral policy dialogue with Japan; and
•Close coordination on shared priorities throughout 2026 as the Philippines serves as the Chair of ASEAN.
The BSD underscored the importance of 2026 as a milestone year for the bilateral relations - the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the 75th year of the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty, and the 10th year anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea.
The Dialogue concluded with an emphasis on the enduring strength of the eight-decade alliance, anchored in shared values and a common commitment to peace, security, and prosperity for both countries.
