Charting a course for our shared future

How do we ensure that our friendship, partnership, and alliance, forged over the past century, evolve to meet our needs a century from now? Last week, the US Embassy brought together top US, Filipino, and regional experts to ask this very question.

The United States and the Philippines are Indo-Pacific countries. This region enjoys almost unparalleled levels of economic growth and expansion that offer remarkable opportunities to all of its nations. However, the Indo-Pacific faces manifold challenges that, left unchecked, could threaten regional stability and prosperity. How do we effectively maximize the region’s potential while avoiding the perils that lie over the horizon?

I had the opportunity to open the two-day think tank conference on “The Future of the US-Philippines Relationship” with DFA Undersecretary Enrique Manalo and DND Undersecretary Cardozo Luna. In our remarks, we all agreed the best way to prepare our two countries for a promising but uncertain future is to do so together. Our long-standing ties have enabled us to achieve many shared successes. As the world changes, though, our relationship, too, must evolve to seize emerging opportunities and overcome unforeseen challenges.

The Indo-Pacific region lives under the strain of terrorist threats and extraterritorial claims backed by increasingly sophisticated and lethal military assets. Security cooperation continues to be a centerpiece of our relationship, and conference panelists heralded the