As Stratbase Institute President and WPS Philippine Advisory Board Vice Chair, Prof. Dindo Manhit moderated a diplomatic panel on the topic “The South China Sea as Global Commons” during the second day of The Manila Dialogue. Among the panelists were Australian Ambassador H.E. Marc Innes-Brown, Canadian Ambassador H.E. David Hartman, French Ambassador H.E. Marie Fontanel, German Ambassador H.E. Andreas Pfaffernoschke, and Japanese Ambassador H.E. Endo Kazuya.  
 
The discussion underscored the shared conviction among like-minded partners of their collective responsibility to ensure that the South China Sea remains open, stable, and governed by international law for the benefit of all nations.  
 
He was also invited to attend a closed-door meeting organized by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung on addressing the challenges posed by malign information operations. He likewise participated in a special roundtable discussion on enhancing security cooperation for a free, open, and rules-based South China Sea, where National Security Adviser Eduardo Año emphasized that adherence to the rule of law and the rules-based international order is a right that all countries—big or small—deserve to be accorded. He further stressed that alliances, partnerships, and cooperation are forged to defend and secure nations whose sovereignty is threatened, whose rights are violated, and whose interests are undermined.