Last March 12–13, the Stratbase Institute and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, in collaboration with the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines, convened a closed-door Track 1.5 Strategic Dialogue and a public high-level conference entitled “Building Economic Security through a Strengthened Canada–Philippines Partnership,” at Makati Shangri-La. 

The public conference convened senior policymakers, industry leaders, and strategic experts to explore how Canada and the Philippines can strengthen collaboration on economic security — with particular focus on advanced technology partnerships, critical mineral and clean technology development, and defence industrial cooperation.    

During the closed-door session, the dialogue generated practical insights and recommendations to strengthen bilateral cooperation and support a more secure and resilient economic partnership between Canada and the Philippines.  

In his remarks, Prof. Dindo Manhit emphasized that economic security is national security. He stressed that economic security cannot — and should not be — achieved by any single country acting alone. Rather, it requires cooperation among like-minded partners such as Canada.  

Echoing this, Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. David Hartman underscored in his keynote address that economic security increasingly depends on cooperation among trusted partners. He reiterated that such partnerships share not only economic interests but also a commitment to transparency, stability, and a rules-based international system, and he emphasized the growing importance of the Canada–Philippines partnership in advancing these shared goals.  

Stratbase remains committed to strengthening dialogue between the Philippines and other like-minded states, such as Canada, on economic and national security priorities, particularly in expanding partnerships across critical sectors where cooperation can be further deepened.