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 Palau |  Philippines |
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Palau–Philippines relations refers to the bilateral relations betweenPalau and thePhilippines, who share the sameAustronesia culture languages. The Philippines and Palau have shared centuries of history under the sameSpanish colony, and afterPhilippine independence, Palaos (Palau) sent a delegation to theMalolos Congress.
Both countries were colonies of theSpanish Empire and governed as theSpanish East Indies. Palau was part of the Spanish Empire from 1574 to 1899. When thePhilippine Republic's legislature, theMalolos Congress was convened, a delegation toPalaos (Palau) was present. A stable independent Philippine state failed to realize because of aUnited States invasion, and Palau was sold by Spain to theGerman Empire along with theCaroline Islands. TheJapanese Empire annexed Palau in World War I from Germany administering it untilWorld War II when the United States captured the islands. Palau was then incorporated into theUnited Nations-backedTrust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1947.[1][2]
In 1979, four constituents of the Trust Territory decided to form theFederated States of Micronesia and Palau opted to become its own independent state. The Philippines, along withJapan, andRepublic of China (Taiwan) were the strong supporters of Palau independence.[2]
In the recent era, formal diplomatic relations between Palau and the Philippines were established on July 15, 1997.[3] The formalization of ties were done inManila and was overseen by Philippine Foreign SecretaryDomingo Siazon and Palau Minister of State Andres Uherbelau.[4]
Palau currently has an embassy inManila as of 2012 while the Philippines previously had an embassy[5] inKoror which opened in 1998.[6] The closure of the embassy in Palau along with 9 other diplomatic missions of the Philippines by the end of July 2012 was announced on January 25, 2012. Budgetary constraints was the cited reason.
PalauPresidentJohnson Toribiong requestedPresidentBenigno Aquino III to reconsider the government's plan to close the embassy in Palau. According to Toribiong the embassy is essential in the delimitation talks on the two countries' maritime border and that the embassy serves about 5,000 Filipino workers, which compose of 60 percent of Palau's foreign work force and 20 percent of the country's total population. The closure of the Philippine embassy in Melekeok was expected to affect Filipinos in neighboring countries such asMicronesia and theMarshall Islands.[7]
The Philippine embassy inKoror closed on July 31, 2012.[8] Since then it has maintained relations with Palau along with Micronesia and the Marshall Islands through theDFA's Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs.[9] Consular affairs fall under the auspices of the Philippine Consulate General in Hagåtña,Guam, and an honorary consulate in Koror.[10]
There are 5,000Filipino workers in Palau. 60 percent of all foreign workers from Palau came from the Philippines and they compose of 20 percent of Palau's total population. Palau's Medical Referral Program which was in force for almost 20 years, sends 100–150 patients annually to the Philippines for medical treatment. Many Palau citizens go to the Philippines to study in colleges and universities for higher education.[5]
Apygmy population was reported in Palau but disappeared in about 1100 A.D.[11]
The exact boundaries of Palau and the Philippines is remained to be defined by delimitation talks. A final agreement has not been made regarding the issue.[5][12] The two countries share a maritime border with Palau situated southeast of the Philippines.[13] In September 2021, Philippine Foreign SecretaryTeodoro Locsin Jr. met with Palau PresidentSurangel Whipps Jr. with the former pledging to resolve the maritime dispute between two countries.[14]
Filipinos fishing within Palau'sExclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) remains an irritant to the relations of both countries. Palau's waters, especially near its southern reefs is currently threatened by over-fishing from boats from China, Indonesia, the Philippines and other countries.[15] Diplomatic relations between Palau and the Philippines reached its lowest point when Palau PresidentKuniwo Nakamura threatened to sever ties with the Philippines due to repeated violations of Palau's EEZ by Filipino fishing vessels in January 1999.[16][17] However, in the recent years, Palau prefers to work on a fishing agreement with the Philippines rather than to file diplomatic protest against its neighbor. No fishing agreements have been established until now.[18]
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