Updated February 1, 2024
The Philippines
Overview and Recent Developments
both the President and Vice President, who are elected on
The United States and the Republic of the Philippines
separate tickets, to one six-year term.
maintain a deep relationship that includes a bilateral
security alliance, extensive military cooperation, close
In May 2023, President Joe Biden met with President
people-to-people ties, and many shared strategic and
Marcos in Washington, DC. The two countries issued a
economic interests. U.S. administration of the Philippines
joint statement that included mutual commitments to bolster
as a colonial territory (1898-1946), which followed 300
defense cooperation and to uphold freedom of navigation
years of Spanish rule, shaped the relationship. Situated east
and overflight in the South China Sea and respect for “the
of the South China Sea and south of Taiwan, the
sovereign rights of states within their exclusive economic
Philippines has long played an important role in U.S. Asia
zones [EEZs] consistent with international law.” During
policy as a close security and counterterrorism partner. The
Marcos’s visit, the two allies established new Bilateral
1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) requires the two
Defense Guidelines, which aim to modernize Philippine
countries to help defend each other against external armed
defense capabilities, deepen interoperability, enhance
attack. The 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement governs the
bilateral planning and information-sharing, and combat
legal status of U.S. military forces operating in the
transnational and non-conventional threats. They appear to
Philippines. The Biden Administration has made
reinforce treaty obligations, stating that an armed attack
revitalizing U.S. alliances in Asia—including with the
“anywhere in the South China Sea,” on either party’s
Philippines—a key pillar of its Indo-Pacific Strategy. The
“armed forces—which includes both nations’ Coast
Philippines, the People’s Republic of China (PRC or
Guards—aircraft, or public vessels, would invoke mutual
China), and others have long-standing disputes over waters
defense commitments” under the MDT.
and land features in the South China Sea. Rising tensions
between the Philippines and China over maritime claims are
Foreign Relations
a potential flashpoint in the region.
The Philippines has long sought to balance its relations with
the United States and China. Manila has relied on the U.S.
The United States is the Philippines’ third-largest trading
alliance and security presence in the region, while seeking
partner, after the People’s Republic of China (PRC or
greater trade and investment from the PRC, despite
China) and Japan, and its largest export market. The
numerous tensions between the Philippines and China.
Philippines is one of 14 members of the Indo-Pacific
Unlike former President Duterte, who had expressed
Economic Framework Initiative, which the Administration
distrust in the United States and sought early in his term to
launched in May 2022.
strengthen ties with the PRC, Marcos has reaffirmed the
importance of the U.S.-Philippines alliance, while seeking
Figure 1.The Philippines at a Glance
to maintain a stable relationship with China. The Marcos
administration and the Japanese government have discussed
strengthening security cooperation. The two countries
reportedly are negotiating a defense pact or reciprocal
access agreement that would allow their forces to enter each
other’s territory for joint exercises. In January 2024, the
Philippines and Vietnam, which has competing claims in
the South China Sea with both the Philippines and the PRC,
signed agreements to prevent military incidents and to
expand coast guard cooperation.
The Philippines is the largest recipient of U.S. military
assistance in the East Asia-Pacific region, including Foreign

Military Financing and assistance under the Department of
Sources: Map, CRS; Other information, Central Intelligence Agency,
Defense’s (DOD’s) Indo-Pacific Maritime Security
The World Factbook, 2023.
Initiative. U.S. military and Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) personnel conduct regular military
Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was elected President of
exercises and maritime patrols, collaborate on
the Philippines in 2022. Marcos’s father, Ferdinand Marcos
counterterrorism, and carry out joint humanitarian
Sr., ruled the country from 1965 to 1986, including through
activities. In April 2023, over 17,000 U.S. and AFP soldiers
martial law from 1972 until he was ousted by the 1986
plus 100 Australian troops participated in “Balikatan”
(“Shoulder
People Power Revolution. Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of
-to-Shoulder”), the alliance’s premier annual
former President Rodrigo Duterte (in office 2016-2022),
bilateral exercise, in the Philippines. Balikatan 2023
won the Vice Presidency. The Philippine constitution limits
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The Philippines
focused on maritime defense and domain awareness, and
South China Sea
was the first iteration to conduct live-fire drills.
Tensions between the Philippines and China over disputed
waters and land features in the South China Sea have risen
In 2014, the U.S. and Philippine governments signed the
since 2012, as China has enlarged and placed military assets
Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), 22
on several disputed features in the Spratly archipelago, and
years after the U.S. military withdrew from Clark Air Base
interfered with Philippine commercial and military activity
and Subic Bay Naval Base in the Philippines. EDCA allows
in the Philippines’ EEZ. Since 2019, PRC vessels have
for the rotational presence of U.S. military forces, aircraft,
regularly massed around Philippine-occupied land features
and ships at agreed locations in the Philippines. The 1987
and have harassed Philippine fishing and coastguard vessels
Constitution of the Philippines prohibits foreign military
in the Philippines’ EEZ.
bases. In February 2023, the two sides agreed to increase
In 2023, PRC Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels
the number of Philippine military bases open to U.S. forces
escalated their interference with Philippine boats attempting
from five to nine, including two across the Luzon Strait
to conduct resupply missions to Second Thomas Shoal in
from Taiwan and two facing disputed islands and maritime
the Spratly Islands chain. The Philippines posts a small
features in the South China Sea.
cadre of its marines on a now-derelict Philippine Navy ship,
Human Rights Concerns
the Sierra Madre, which it grounded on the shoal in 1999 as
part of its efforts to assert its maritime claims. In 2023,
Significant human rights challenges in the Philippines
PRC harassment resulted in two collisions between PRC
include extrajudicial killings carried out by the military and
and Philippines vessels.
police, lack of protections for press freedom and the safety
of journalists, a weak judicial system, and government
The Aquino government (2010-2016) sought arbitration
corruption. In 2020, a Philippine court found Maria Ressa,
under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
later a co-winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, who had
(UNCLOS) against aspects of China’s claims and assertive
reported critically on the Duterte administration’s “War on
behavior in the South China Sea. In 2016, an UNCLOS
Drugs,” guilty of “cyber libel.” Ressa remains on bail as she
tribunal concluded, among other findings, that China’s
appeals her case to the Supreme Court of the Philippines.
maritime territorial claims based on “historical rights” have
The Department of State, in a report that it updated
no basis in international law. China did not participate in
pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY2023
the proceedings and declared the verdict “null and void.”
(P.L. 117-328, Section 7019(e)), stated that the AFP “has
made progress on human rights,” although “some AFP
Separatist and Terrorist Movements
personnel, particularly those acting outside the chain of
The Philippines has long battled Muslim armed separatist
command, commit human rights abuses and violations.”
and terrorist groups on the southern island of Mindanao.
The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), which the United States
Former President Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs
designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in
resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings, triggering
1997, has carried out hostage-takings for ransom, killings,
international condemnation. Estimates of drug war-related
and bombings since the early 1990s. In 2017, a coalition of
deaths range from 6,200 to 30,000. Human rights groups
Filipino militant groups that had pledged allegiance to the
report that virtually all of the killings, which were carried
Islamic State, known as ISIS-Philippines, along with
out by police and armed vigilantes, occurred without due
dozens of foreign fighters, captured Marawi, a provincial
process, and the vast majority of victims were unarmed,
capital in Mindanao. With U.S. and other foreign
poor, low-level offenders. President Marcos stated that he
assistance, the AFP retook the city five months later. In
would continue the anti-drug campaign “within the
2018, the State Department added ISIS-Philippines
framework of the law and with respect for human rights.”
(renamed ISIS-East Asia in 2020) to the FTO list. The U.S.
Some human rights groups allege that extrajudicial killings
military has provided noncombat support for
related to anti-drug operations have continued under
counterterrorism efforts in the southern Philippines since
Marcos.
2002. By 2023, the AFP reportedly had reduced the number
U.S. Assistance and Restrictions
of ASG fighters to under one hundred. The AFP has
Department of State and U.S. Agency for International
significantly weakened the New People’s Army and the
Development (USAID) assistance to the Philippines totaled
Communist Party of the Philippines’ military arm, both of
an estimated $169.5 million in FY2023. It included military
which are on the State Department’s FTO list.
aid and programs aimed at promoting inclusive economic
development, the rule of law and human rights, and family
In 2018, the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic
health, basic education, and environmental management.
Liberation Front, an armed separatist group, agreed to
Since 2016, the U.S. government has suspended
establish a new Muslim-majority administrative area in
counternarcotics assistance to Philippine National Police
Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago called the Bangsamoro
units that carry out anti-drug efforts. The Consolidated
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). An
Appropriations Act, FY2023 (P.L. 117-328, Section
election for the BARMM parliament is scheduled for 2025.
7043(h)) states, “None of the funds appropriated by this Act
may be made available for counternarcotics assistance for
See also CRS In Focus, China-Philippines Tensions in the
the Philippines, except for drug demand reduction,
South China Sea and CRS Report R47055, The Philippines:
maritime law enforcement, or transnational interdiction.”
Background and U.S. Relations.
Thomas Lum, Specialist in Asian Affairs
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The Philippines

IF10250
Ben Dolven, Specialist in Asian Affairs


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