The Philippines and India are moving to deepen security cooperation against terrorism, with both sides exploring intelligence sharing, table-top exercises, and capacity-building activities as terror threats increasingly spill into cyberspace and new technologies.
Senior officials from the two countries met in Manila on May 14 for the 2nd Philippines-India Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, part of efforts to translate their strategic partnership into concrete cooperation in political, defense, and security affairs.
The Philippine delegation was led by Assistant Secretary Marshall Louis M. Alferez of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs, while the Indian side was headed by Dr. Vinod Bahade, Joint Secretary of the Counter-terrorism Division of India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
The meeting brought together key security, justice, defense, intelligence, law enforcement, and financial-monitoring agencies from both countries.
On the Philippine side, participants included senior officials and representatives from the Anti-Terrorism Council, National Security Council, Department of Justice, Department of National Defense, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Anti-Money Laundering Council, National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and the Philippine National Police.
The Indian delegation included officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, National Security Council Secretariat, National Security Guard, National Investigation Agency, and the Indian Embassy in Manila.
As strategic partners, the Philippines and India exchanged views on national and international threat assessments, and shared best practices on countering terror financing, the misuse of cyberspace and emerging technologies by terrorist actors, and violent extremism.
Both sides also discussed possible concrete bilateral activities, including information and intelligence sharing, table-top exercises, and capacity building. They underscored the need to sustain cooperation in regional and multilateral platforms dealing with counter-terrorism.
Before the joint working group meeting, Bahade and his delegation also met with counterparts from the National Security Council and the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
The next Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism will be held in India in 2027.
The Philippines and India established a Strategic Partnership on Aug. 5, 2025, aimed at strengthening cooperation in political, defense, and security areas, including counter-terrorism.