APF Canada was honoured to host Enrique A. Manalo, Philippines Secretary for Foreign Affairs, at a public event on May 7, 2024, in Vancouver. Secretary Manalo presented a foreign policy keynote address entitled “The Indo-Pacific Region in the Eyes of the Philippines: Navigating Through Uncharted Waters” as part of APF Canada’s Indo-Pacific Leaders Speakers Series.

Below is an encore video presentation of APF Canada's event with Secretary Manalo.

Secretary Manalo, a career diplomat and expert in multilateral diplomacy who served as the Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN prior to his appointment as Foreign Affairs Secretary in 2022, discussed fostering closer ties and enhancing co-operation with Canada for the collective prosperity and stability of the Indo-Pacific.

Vancouver was the first stop on Secretary Manalo’s May 6-10 Canadian tour, which also took him to Ottawa and Toronto for meetings with senior government officials, including Canada’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly.

APF Canada’s May 7 event included opening remarks by The Hon. Bruce Ralston, British Columbia’s Minister Responsible for the Consular Corps and Minister of Forests, denoting the importance of the Philippines to B.C. as well as Canada. A panel discussion moderated by APF Canada's Senior Fellow Kai Ostwald, Director of the Institute of Asian Research at the University of B.C., and a Q&A session followed Secretary Manalo's keynote address.