From 24 to 30 November 2025, a delegation of the Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine conducted an official visit to Manila to deepen institutional cooperation and dialogue with political like-minded partners.
The delegation was led by LDLU Vice President Yevheniia Fedotova. The team also included Mariia Makarovych, Head of the East Asia Office, and Viktoriia Pochapska, Coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs.
The program included meetings with pro-democratic political parties of the Philippines, civil society organizations, youth movements, and academic institutions.
In particular, the delegates met with:
• Congressman Perci Cendaña (Akbayan) – to discuss the security dimension of the West Philippine Sea and its connection to Ukraine’s security, anti-corruption trends in both countries, joint resistance to Chinese expansionism, and the development of civic ties.
• Ryan Aguinaldo, Head of the Department of Political and International Sciences at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines – to explore prospects for academic cooperation, including potential fellowship programs, exchanges, and strengthening of mutual intellectual presence.
• The teams of CALD and FNF Philippines – to outline areas of institutional cooperation and support for Ukrainian-Philippine pro-democratic initiatives in 2026.
• Ukraine’s Ambassador to the Philippines, Yuliia Fediv – to discuss expanded engagement of Ukrainian NGOs in developing Ukraine-Philippines relations and expressing gratitude for her ongoing support.
A special honor for LDLU was participation in a cultural initiative of the Embassy – to support the performances of renowned Ukrainian artist, ethnomusicologist, and pianist Taras Filonenko in Manila and Cebu.
Among the key takeaways of our team following the visit to Manila, we highlight the following:
- The Philippines highly value Ukraine’s experience in resisting an autocratic adversary and seek to integrate best practices to strengthen national and regional security. This creates a unique window of opportunity for Ukraine to capitalize on its security expertise.
- The Philippines are in a phase of complex political transformation and economic challenges, including inflationary pressure. A major corruption scandal involving preparations of critical infrastructure for devastating floods has become especially painful for society. This case resonates with Ukraine’s own experience and opens space for exchanging integrity-focused practices between our civil societies.
- The country faces food security challenges, and Ukraine – as a global leader in the agricultural sector — can become a reliable partner in ensuring food supplies. This also reinforces the argument for accelerating diversification of Ukrainian exports and gradually reducing reliance on autocratic markets.
- Philippine academic communities demonstrate strong interest in cooperation with Ukrainian experts – in both the humanitarian and science-technology sectors. Building sustainable institutional bridges between our universities and research centers can become a key step toward institutionalizing bilateral relations.
- Despite existing tensions between the current government and the pro-liberal opposition, the main threat comes from autocratic forces – primarily the Duterte political dynasty – which is attempting to return to power and undermine democratic processes. Such a scenario is highly desirable for Russia and China.
These insights will form the basis of our work in the Philippines and the broader Southeast Asian region in 2026.
The visit of the LDLU delegation to Manila and the performance of Mr. Filonenko were supported by the International Renaissance Foundation within the project “Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific region: Institutional Bridges.”
