Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo will be in a six-day official trip to Munich and London, where he is expected to attend an international security conference and meet with several high-ranking officials, the agency's spokesperson said on Thursday, Feb. 13.
DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo (Photo from Sec. Manalo via X post)
According to DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza, Manalo will first attend the 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC) from Feb. 14 to 16 in Munich, Germany before holding bilateral meetings with United Kingdom officials.
“The Secretary's trips aim to exchange views with several international partners on regional developments, and discuss means to further strengthen bilateral relations, including the commitment to safeguard a rules-based international order and the rule of law,” she said.
At the security conference to be held at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof, Manalo will be a lead discussant in the roundtable discussion entitled “Making Waves: Maritime Tensions in the Indo-Pacific” on Feb. 15. He last attended the 59th Munich Security Conference in 2023.
“The Munich Security Conference, held annually, is a prominent forum for debate and dialogue on international security policy, and attended by Foreign Ministers, Defense Ministers, business leaders, think tanks, and civil society,” Daza shared.
The DFA chief will also be meeting with his counterparts—United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Commission Kaja Kallas—on the sidelines of the conference.
After the security conference and meetings in Germany, Manalo will proceed to London for a series of bilateral meetings with UK officials. There, he is also expected to meet with members of the Asia House and Chatham House.
“Asia House is an independent think tank and advisory services organization which facilitates high-level dialogues between companies and governments in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East to enable political, economic, and commercial engagements,” Daza said.
“Chatham House, on the other hand, is one of the oldest and most well-known think tanks in the world which hosts speaking engagements of prominent government leaders, publishes independent, peer-reviewed reports and research papers, and maintains a network of experts who provide in-depth commentaries on world events,” she added.
The DFA chief’s visit to Munich and London follows the 70th anniversary of bilateral relations between the Philippines and Germany last year and ahead of the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom in 2026.