Against this backdrop, regional security in the Philippines is increasingly shaped by a dual strategy of strengthening alliances and deepening regional engagement. The country continues to reinforce its long-standing defense partnership with the United States while expanding security cooperation with Japan and Australia, particularly in areas such as maritime security, joint exercises, and capacity-building. At the same time, the Philippines remains actively engaged within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), especially in managing tensions in the West Philippine Sea. These efforts reflect a broader commitment to promoting stability, upholding international law, and contributing to cooperative security initiatives in Southeast Asia.

This panel convenes scholars, experts, and practitioners from government, civil society, and academe to examine the Philippines’ evolving regional security strategy. It will evaluate current approaches to alliance-building and regional engagement, and develop policy-relevant insights for strengthening maritime security, managing tensions, and advancing a stable, rules-based order in Southeast Asia.

Suggested Sub-Themes for Session 1

1. 1. Maritime Domain Awareness in Southeast Asia (technology and innovation in surveillance systems, patrol capabilities, force modernization, and maritime security operations)
   2. Defense Cooperation and Alliance Interoperability in the Indo-Pacific (joint exercises, basing agreements, operational coordination, and burden-sharing arrangements)
   3. Territorial and Maritime Dispute Management in the West Philippine Sea (legal and normative approaches, crisis management, deterrence, escalation control, and international law mechanisms)
   4. Regional Security Institutions and Cooperative Mechanisms in Southeast Asia (ASEAN centrality, minilateral arrangements, norm-setting, preventive diplomacy, and security dialogues)
   5. Conventional and Hybrid Threats in Southeast Asia (grey zone coercion, paramilitary activity, coercive maritime tactics, cybersecurity, and information warfare)

In today’s globalized world, rocked by geopolitical and geo-economic conflict, the academe is committed to helping people face their daily struggle for survival. Beyond these immediate needs, the struggle for oil and power in the Middle East compels a closer examination of forms of economic resilience in the medium and long term through science-based solutions and cross-border negotiations with like-minded nation-states. There is a need to explore issues of food security, energy security, and the climate emergency in ways that alleviate human suffering and lead toward the “fullest blossoming of human potentials” (D. Seers, circa 1970s). Diplomacy is seen as a tool for assessing risks, evaluating alternatives, and working toward optimal options.

Suggested Sub-Themes for Session 2

1. 1. Food Security and Agribusiness Transformation (agricultural productivity, supply chain resilience, organic farming, and innovations in fertilizer production and sustainable agribusiness models)
   2. Energy Security and Transition Pathways (renewable energy systems, nuclear energy prospects and risks, biofuels development, and energy diversification strategies)
   3. Climate Emergency and Climate Resilience (climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and the economic impacts of climate-related shocks on vulnerable sectors)

Climate Diplomacy and Climate Justice (ASEAN cooperation, Global North–South negotiations on carbon emissions, climate financing, and equity in climate governance)

With the rise of geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific, the Philippines faces growing threats from foreign influence and interference operations against its national institutions, political processes, and subnational governance. Malign foreign influence encompasses actions by foreign actors intended to shape state policies or public opinion through covert, manipulative means that are not necessarily illegal, such as disinformation campaigns, economic pressure, or false propaganda. Foreign interference, meanwhile, refers to the illegal use of covert, coercive, and corrupt activities to manipulate and disrupt another state’s internal affairs to advance the foreign state’s interests, sovereignty, and democratic processes. Such activities may include cyberattacks, espionage, and infiltration of political parties and governments. 

This panel examines the problem of malign foreign influence and interference in the Philippines, its manifestations and implications, and the government’s existing countermeasures to address the local vulnerabilities against the backdrop of increasing foreign influence operations in the country’s political landscape. This panel also deals with the development of proposed legal and policy recommendations, including a draft Foreign Interference Bill. The panel ultimately seeks to raise awareness of the nature of malign foreign interference and influence in the country and to enhance understanding of local vulnerabilities and the strategies needed to address the emerging security and political concerns posed by such activities.

This panel aims to bring together scholars, experts, and practitioners from the government, civil society, and academe to identify the threats, assess current responses, and propose practical legal and policy measures to safeguard the country’s democratic processes and national sovereignty.

Suggested Sub-Themes for Session 3

• • Disinformation as a vector for creating civil discord in the Philippines 
  • Sister city arrangements as a tool of interference at subnational level 

• • Economic investment as gateways for strategic interests 

• • Approaches to countering FIMI (Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference)