The Philippines and the United Kingdom (UK) share a long history of interaction dating as far back to Sir

Francis Drake’s
landing in Mindanao in 1579 after an almost three-year circumnavigational voyage on board the Golden Hind.

Economic interaction would shape the relationship between the two countries for several centuries, with the Philippines
becoming part of the footprint of the East India Company and British companies, which led the way in building the
Philippines’ transportation infrastructure, establishing Iloilo as an international trading port, and igniting the Philippines’
sugar boom in Central Visayas.

From 1762 to 1764, the United Kingdom occupied Manila and its surrounding areas, stretching as far as the province of
Cavite. The Philippines was considered war booty when Spain, an ancillary to France, was involved in the Seven Years’
War. The British occupied Manila and drew-up a three-year plan to administer the archipelago. The archipelago was
eventually handed back to Spain through the Treaty of Paris of 1763. Other than the administrative plan, the British
drew up admiralty charts of Manila, its famous Bay, the Spanish fortified town of Intramuros, and Cavite. Some of these
maps, including the administrative plan, are housed at the British Library, and the National Archives in Kew.

During World War II, the Philippines and the United Kingdom fought on the same side and triumphed.

Formal diplomatic relations were eventually established between the Philippines and the UK on 4 July 1946. Since then,
the two governments have worked tirelessly to foster stronger political, economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties.

Central to its bilateral relationship is the Philippines-United Kingdom Joint Plan of Action (JPA) signed in Manila on 11
December 2012. It is a political document that serves as a framework for bilateral cooperation covering five key areas:
political, economic, consular and law enforcement, cultural, and regional and global issues.

Through the years, the relationship has been nurtured by frequent exchanges permeating various levels of government.
President Benigno S. Aquino III visited London on 4-6 June 2012, as a guest of the British Government. The latest high-
level British official to visit the Philippines was Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Philip Hammond
MP on 7 January 2016.

The relations between the two countries have been marked by keener British interest in Philippine economic and
political developments, as shown by a sharp rise in development assistance, the number and frequency of high-level
visits to Manila, and the significant increase in the volume of trade and investments. Britain is currently the largest
European investor in the Philippines and likewise the biggest tourism market in the continent with roughly 180,000
visitors in the first half of 2018 alone.

In terms of foreign affairs, the United Kingdom has remained a vital partner in the Mindanao peace process. It was an
active founding member of the International Contact Group that provided advice to both the GPH and MILF negotiating
panels.

The Philippines and the United Kingdom also share strong ties in education with the recent transnational education
partnership between top Philippine and British universities in the past two years, and the steady influx of Filipino
scholars in many of the UK’s premier universities.

The Philippines and the UK likewise have manifested convergent interests in global and regional matters, particularly in
counter-terrorism, interfaith work, climate change, disaster management and a strong adherence to the promotion of
human rights and the rule of law.

The strength of bilateral ties between UK and the Philippines is rests on the strong links between our peoples. There are
over 200,000 Filipinos living and working in the UK, many of them already British citizens and contributing positively to
the fabric of British society. They work in a variety of sectors, such as information technology, engineering, aviation,
education, and hospitality. Most notably, the UK has been relying on the professional expertise of over 14,000
healthcare workers in the National Health Service, bringing their high level of professional qualification and strong caring
skills to fill critical gaps in the delivery of healthcare services. On the other hand, around 17,000 British citizens live
permanently in the Philippines.

Most notably, the UK has been relying on the professional expertise of thousands of Filipino workers to fill critical gaps in
the delivery of health services, exemplified by the influx of Filipino nurses whose valuable skills and professional
dedication have made them an essential part of the UK National Health Service.

There is also a significant number of Filipino scholars, many leaders in their respective fields, who have been selected for
postgraduate programs in British universities and a handful of British scholars undertaking research in the Philippines
particularly on tropical diseases, colonial art, and anthropology, among others.

To date, there are more than 100 Filipino community associations/charities in the UK registered with the Philippine
Embassy.

Agreements Signed Between the Philippines and the UK

 Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation between the Philippines and the UK (signed 4
December 2017)
 Air Services Agreement (signed 11 December 2012)
 Joint Plan of Action (signed 11 December 2012)
 Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of National Defense of the Republic of the Philippines
and Military Delegations (signed and entered into force 13 Nov 2009)
 Extradition Treaty (signed 18 September 2009)
 Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (signed 18 September 2009, entered into force 01 June
2012)
 MOA on Advance Education/Training Program for Filipino Caregivers (signed and entered into force on 05 March
2005)
 MOU on Healthcare Cooperation (signed 30 July 2003, entered into force 06 January 2006)
 Recruitment Agreement (signed 08 January 2002)
 MOU on Law Enforcement Cooperation and Combating Child Abuse (signed 30 August 1997)
 MOU on Women’s and Children’s Protection Course Between the British Government and the Philippine
National Police (signed and entered into force 30 August 1997)
 Concessional Financing Agreements (signed and entered into force 01 September 1995)
 PH-UK Manila Airport Security Equipment Grant 1994 (signed and entered into force 31 January 1995)
 PH-UK Small Islands Electrification Grant 1990 (signed and entered into force 10 December 1990)
 PH-UK Exchange of Notes on Agreement No. 2 on the rescheduling of PH debts with UK (signed 22 January 1987,
entered into force 25 March 1988)
 PH-UK Agreement on Certain Commercial Debts (signed and entered into force 04 February 1986)
 Social Security Agreement (signed 27 Feb 1985, entered into force 01 December 1989)
 MOU on the Promotion and Protection of Investments (signed and entered into force on 17 December 1985)
 Agreement for the Promotion and Protection of Investments (signed 03 Dec 1980, entered into force 02 January
1981)
 Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on
Income and Capital Gains (signed 10 June 1976, entered into force 23 January 1978)
 Agreement on Air Services (relating to designation of routes) (signed and entered into force on 31 January 1955)
 PH-UK Agreement on Air Services Between and Beyond Their Territories (signed and entered into force on 31
January 1955)
https://londonpe.dfa.gov.ph/bilateral-relations

The Philippines and the United Kingdom convened the 3rd Philippines-United Kingdom Economic Dialogue on 9
February 2022. The Dialogue was led by Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo
and Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils.

With over 75 years of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the United Kingdom, the 3rd Economic
Dialogue is the first manifestation of the new Enhanced Partnership agreed by Department of Foreign Affairs
Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. and UK Foreign Secretary Locsin and Secretary Liz Truss in November 2021.

The Dialogue witnessed the shared commitment of both countries to build back better from the pandemic and
pursue mutual prosperity in key areas including economic reform, green infrastructure, human development,
and digital economy, as well as to deepen cooperation in priority sectors such as manufacturing and innovation.

Further recognizing shared efforts towards boosting bilateral trade and investment, both sides agreed to
continue coordination on trade policy, regional trade interests, and multilateral engagement, in addition to a
regular dialogue on market access issues and investment opportunities. “The United Kingdom is a key trade,
investment, and cooperation partner of the Philippines. Given the importance of international collaboration
especially in global health response and economic recovery efforts in view of the pandemic, we acknowledge the
complementarities that both our countries can capitalize on towards this end,” Undersecretary Rodolfo
remarked.

Ambassador Beaufils also underscored the UK’s commitment to deepen inclusive and sustainable economic
development ties with the Philippines as well as to explore opportunities for regional opportunities in light of
the United Kingdom’s conferment as ASEAN Dialogue Partner and the Philippines’ role as ASEAN Economic
Coordinator for the UK. “The Philippines is a very important and valued partner for us. We are committed to
pursuing deeper collaboration with the Philippines and enabling great integration in the ASEAN region. We will
do this in areas of common interest, and deliver tangible results to the benefits of both of our countries and
their citizens”.

Both countries reaffirm the outcomes of the 3rd Economic Dialogue through a Joint Partnership Statement that
highlights their commitment to continue working with each other to promote the mutual development of the
Philippines and the United Kingdom in various areas and sectors towards post-pandemic economic recovery.
These include support for key economic reforms that enable strong bilateral and regional linkages, capacity
 building, and sharing of expertise and best practices between both countries, aligned with the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals and the Philippine Development Plan.

The Philippines and the United Kingdom have renewed their commitments to boost trade and investments amid the
coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic following the second Economic Dialogue held between the two
governments Wednesday.
 
In a joint statement, both states commit “to support the global health response and efforts towards an inclusive,
green and sustainable economic recovery”. 
 
“The Philippines is a key economic partner and ally of (the) UK in Asean. Engaging (the) UK bilaterally is strategically
important at this crucial time as they implement their independent trade regime and as we ramp up international
cooperation towards recovery from the effects of the pandemic,” Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said.
 
The economic dialogue with the UK is the country’s first bilateral meet outside Asean since the onset of the
coronavirus.
 
The economic dialogue also marks the 75 years of bilateral relations between the Philippines and UK in 2021.
 
“We move a step closer to 75 years of Philippine-UK friendship, and we look forward to an even stronger
collaboration between our nations working together to shape the UK‘s dynamic partnership with Asean and the
wider region,” British Ambassador to the Philippines Daniel Pruce said.
 
Pruce added that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the two countries will continue to pursue closer ties for an
“inclusive, green, and sustainable economic recovery”.
 
The Philippines and UK reaffirm their commitments to boost trade and investments, particularly in sectors of
aerospace, electronics, automotive, and pharmaceuticals; pursue innovation and industrial collaboration; foster
micro, small and medium enterprise development; enable key reforms and deepen program partnerships, including
through the UK Prosperity Fund in areas like health, education, low carbon energy, infrastructure, finance, business
environment, intellectual property, and digital economy. 
 
In February 2020, UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to the Philippines Richard Graham visited Manila to reinforce
economic ties between the two countries despite UK’s transition to leave the European Union (EU) by end of the
year.
 
Graham, who is also a British parliament member, has said the UK government will pursue independent trade
agreements around the globe and he sees strong potential for Philippines-UK free trade agreement in the future.