Department of Foreign Affairs (Philippines)
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (January 2008) |
Kagawaran ng Ugnayang Panlabas | |
The Department of Foreign Affairs building along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay | |
Department overview | |
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Formed | June 23, 1898 |
Jurisdiction | Government of the Philippines |
Headquarters | 2330 Roxas Boulevard, Pasay, Philippines 14°32′48″N 120°59′31″E / 14.54680°N 120.99181°E |
Employees | 2,289 (2020)[1] |
Annual budget | ₱21.545 billion (2022)[2] |
Department executives |
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Child agencies |
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Key document |
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Website | www |
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA;
The head of the department is currently Enrique Manalo and is nominated by the president of the Philippines and confirmed by the Commission on Appointments. The secretary of foreign affairs is a member of the Cabinet.[4]
History
Post-War Philippines
During the period when the Philippines was a colony of the United States, the government did not take an active role in the crafting and execution of its foreign policy. This was also the case during Japan's occupation of the Philippines from 1942 to 1944. The country regained full control of foreign affairs and diplomatic matters on July 4, 1946, when Commonwealth Act No. 732 was passed creating the Department of Foreign Affairs.[3] On September 16, President Manuel Roxas issued Executive Order No. 18, which provided for the organization and operation of the DFA and the Foreign Service.[5] The main tasks of the DFA then were to assist in postwar rehabilitation, formulate policies for the promotion of investment, and re-establish diplomatic relations with neighboring countries.
The DFA had also proposed amendments to the
The DFA had its heyday during the post-war years, with its increased participation in the international arena. At that time, the international environment was beginning to change, requiring that new thrusts and priorities in Philippine foreign policy be determined. During the
Realizing the importance of foreign relations, President
Under Marcos
President
Throughout the 1970s, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pursued the promotion of trade and investment, played an active role in hosting international meetings, and participated in the meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement. The Foreign Service Institute was created in 1976 to provide in-house training to Foreign Service personnel.
Post-EDSA 1986
The
During this period, the Philippines became one of the founding members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC in November 1989, and an active player in regional efforts to establish the ASEAN Free Trade Area. In 1990, the DFA proposed the establishment of more diplomatic missions to the Middle East to improve existing ties with Arab states and to respond to the growing needs of Overseas Filipino Workers in the region.
In 1991, the
In the early 1990s, the DFA transferred its offices from the former Library Building of the University of the Philippines Manila in Ermita, Manila to the Asian Development Bank's old headquarters along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay. The Supreme Court of the Philippines took over the Library building, while the ADB moved to Ortigas Center in Pasig.
Under Fidel V. Ramos
The administration of
The Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 provided the framework for stronger protection of Filipino workers abroad, with the creation of the Legal Assistance Fund and the Assistance-to-Nationals Fund, and the designation in the DFA of a Legal Assistant for Migrant Workers' Affairs, with the rank of Undersecretary.[8]
Among the other significant events in foreign affairs during the Ramos years were the adoption by ASEAN in 1992, upon Philippine initiative, of the Declaration on the South China Sea, aimed at confidence-building and the avoidance of conflict among claimant states; the establishment of the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines (BIMP)-East Asia Growth area in 1994; the establishment of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in 1994 as the only multilateral security dialogue in the Asia-Pacific region conducted at the government level, and the signing between the Philippine Government and the MNLF on September 2, 1996, of the Mindanao Peace Agreement.
Estrada administration
The administration of Joseph Estrada upheld the foreign policy thrusts of the previous administration, focusing on national security, economic diplomacy, assistance to nationals, and image-building. The Philippines continued to be at the forefront of the regional and multilateral arena. It successfully hosted the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in July 1998 and undertook confidence-building measures with China over South China Sea issue through a meeting in March 1999. President Estrada strengthened bilateral ties with neighboring countries with visits to Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea.
The DFA also played a major role in the forging of a Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States, which was ratified in the Senate. The country also sent a delegation of 108 observers to the Indonesian parliamentary elections, and engaged in cooperative activities in the areas of security, defense, combating transnational crimes, economy, culture, and the protection of OFWs and Filipinos abroad.
Organizational structure
The department is headed by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs (Philippines), with the following undersecretaries:
- Undersecretary for Administration
- Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs
- Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and International Economic Relations
- Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs
- Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs
Offices of the department
The policy and geographic offices of the DFA manage political and economic relations in different regions and pursue Philippine interests in multilateral organizations. These include the following:
- Office of International Economic Relations
- Office of American Affairs
- Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs
- Office of European Affairs
- Office of Middle East and African Affairs
- Office of ASEAN Affairs
- Office of United Nations and International Organizations
- Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office
The DFA's line offices are the following:
- Office of Migrant Workers Affairs
- Office of Consular Affairs
- Office of Civilian Security
- Office of Public and Cultural Diplomacy
- Office of Treaties and Legal Affairs
- Office of Policy Planning and Coordination
- Office of Protocol
- Office of Fiscal Management Services
- Office of Asset Management and Support Services
- Human Resource Management Office
- Intelligence and Security Unit
- Department Legislative Liaison Unit
- Internal Audit Service
List of secretaries
See also
- Foreign relations of the Philippines
- List of diplomatic missions of the Philippines
- List of diplomatic missions in the Philippines
References
- ^ Department of Budget and Management (August 21, 2019). Staffing Summaries of National Government Agencies (PDF) (Report). p. 149.
- ^ General Appropriations Act of Fiscal Year 2022 (PDF) (Republic Act 11639). Congress of the Philippines. December 30, 2021.
- ^ a b "COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 732". Attorneys of the Philippines. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ Esmaquel II, Paterno R. (July 1, 2022). "Veteran diplomat Enrique Manalo is Marcos' foreign secretary". Rappler. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ "Executive Order No. 18, s. 1946". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. September 16, 1946. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ "REPUBLIC ACT NO. 708". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. June 5, 1952. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ "Republic Act No. 7157". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. September 19, 1991. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ "Republic Act No. 8042". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. June 7, 1995. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
External links
- "Foreign ministers L-R". Rulers. Retrieved April 14, 2006.
- Official website of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs
- Office website of the Office of Consular Affairs of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs