As an archipelagic state, the Philippines has sovereignty and jurisdiction over vast marine resources, which it needs to protect. With the benefits of a maritime environment comes the complexity of security concerns within and outside the country’s territory. To effectively harness its inherent maritime potential, the Philippines needs to invest in developing its physical, human, technological, and policy capabilities to secure its maritime jurisdiction and enhance its power projection.  

With the country’s geographical and strategic position, the Philippines has gained the responsibility of a balancing actor in the Indo-Pacific. As it gears up its maritime capabilities, the country also needs to deal with the region’s evolving security architecture. The Indo-Pacific is currently the hotspot of geopolitical power competition. States are continuously affected by the changing dynamics of warfare while maintaining economic growth in the phase of major technological innovations. 

As the Indo-Pacific faces a new age of uncertainty in the maritime domain, more opportunities open for states to engage in multilateral and strategic cooperation. The realization that maritime security is a collective concern in the region demands like-minded states to work together to respond to present and emerging threats in the region.  

Program

Welcoming Remarks 
Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit 
President
Stratbase ADR Institute 

Keynote Address 
Amb. Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez 
Philippine Ambassador to the United States
Department of Foreign Affairs 

Revitalizing the Alliance through Strategic Autonomy and Rules-Based System 
Ms. Lisa Curtis 
Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program and Senior Fellow 
Center for a New American Security 

Aligning Indo-Pacific Strategies for the China Challenge 
Mr. Murray Hiebert 
Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies; 
Author, “Under Beijing’s Shadow: Southeast Asia’s China Challenge”; 
Director for Research, BowerGroupAsia 

Developing the EU Defense Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific for Maritime Capacity Building  
H.E. Jana Šedivá 
Ambassador, Embassy of the Czech Republic in the Philippines 
*To represent the EU Perspective as EU Council President

Building on the UK Security Strategy in the Indo-Pacific towards Maritime Cooperation 
Mr. Alistair White 
Deputy Head of Mission
British Embassy in the Philippines 

Japanese Maritime Diplomacy: Maintaining the Freedom of the Indo-Pacific Waters 
Mr. Yusuke Takagi 
Associate Professor  
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies 

Elevating the Australia’s Maritime Security Relations in line with Current and Emerging Threats 
Prof. John Blaxland  
Professor of International Security & Intelligence Studies  
Australia National University  

A Roadmap of Philippine Foreign Policy: Prospects for further Indo-Pacific Presence  
Dr. Renato de Castro  
Trustee and Program Convenor, Stratbase ADR Institute;  
Professor, De La Salle University – Manila 

Contextualizing the Philippines’ Defense Posture today in the Indo-Pacific Region 
RADM. Rommel Jude Ong 
Executive Director, Security Reform Initiative; 
Professor of Praxis, Ateneo School of Government 

Closing Remarks 
Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit 
President 
Stratbase ADR Institute 

Host and Moderator
Dr. Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby 
Professor 
De La Salle University – Manila