Philippines, India pledge deeper defense ties

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and India pledged on Wednesday, October 28, to deepen defense cooperation, with Manila moving to post a liaison officer at an Indian Navy-run maritime information center.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. made the commitment during talks with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in Cebu, where the Philippines is hosting the 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting.

The center, known as the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region, tracks shipping and maritime security incidents and shares the data with partner navies. 

Teodoro committed to "facilitating the deployment" of a Philippine officer there "to strengthen maritime information-sharing," according to a statement from the Department of National Defense.

Singh said both sides also discussed the possibility of "joint defense production," among others. 

"We reviewed our ongoing defense cooperation and discussed avenues to further strengthen our strategic partnership, particularly focusing on maritime security and joint defense production," he said in a post on X.

The talks built on ties the two countries raised to a strategic partnership in August 2025, during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s state visit to New Delhi. India became the Philippines' fifth strategic partner.

Marcos said at the time that the partnership opened "a new era of closer, multidimensional, and impactful engagement." 

India also invited the Philippines to join the information center during that visit.

Defense ties between both sides have also centered on the BrahMos, a supersonic cruise missile that India builds with Russia.

In January 2022, Manila signed a deal worth about $375 million for three shore-based anti-ship missile batteries for the Philippine Marine Corps. 

Deliveries began in April 2024, which led the Philippines to test the missiles in a simulated strike at sea during this year's Balikatan exercises with the United States.

In Cebu, Singh "highlighted the progress" of the BrahMos project under the military's modernization program, according to the DND.

The two navies held their first joint sail in the West Philippine Sea in August 2025, the part of the South China Sea that falls within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

China, which claims almost the entire waterway, sent its own patrols during the drills. Its foreign ministry reacted to the patrols and said "no third party is in any position to interfere" in the disputes.

A 2016 arbitral ruling under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) found that Beijing's sweeping claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis. China rejects the decision.

On Wednesday, Singh stressed freedom of navigation and "upholding the principles reflected in" UNCLOS, the DND said. 

India has cited the 2016 arbitral award in joint statements with Manila since 2023.

Singh also pointed to reciprocal ship visits, staff talks between the two militaries and the setting up of a joint working group on counterterrorism. 

The Indian official cited two exercises held at Subic Bay in late September, including the second ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise, which the two countries co-hosted.

Teodoro, for his part, pushed to expand the Philippine defense attaché's office in India. The DND said this would allow "broader engagement" with India's defense institutions and military services.

He also thanked India for helping Filipinos in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. 

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