Philippines’ push for Safety Council seat 

When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. addressed the United Nations Common Meeting (UNGA) for the primary time in 2022, he was a distinct president at a distinct time on the planet. 

It was September 2022, simply months after he had gained as the primary majority-elected Philippine president because the ouster of his namesake and father, the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. His political alliances have been nonetheless intact, and Manila was solely starting to chart its place on the planet underneath a second Marcos presidency.

Quick ahead to March 2026, and Marcos returns to the United Nations extra weary over the home upheavals and crises — lots of them self-made — that he has needed to face, and backdropped by a world order that’s shifting earlier than our very eyes.

The President is in New York from March 9 to 10 to talk throughout the seventieth Session of the Fee on the Standing of Ladies, in addition to throughout a particular session earlier than the UN Common Meeting (UNGA). He can even be assembly with UN Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres.

Marcos’ New York go to had all the time been meant as his final in-person push for the Philippines’ bid to safe a seat as a non-permanent member of the highly effective UN Safety Council for 2027–2028. Voting is about to happen in June 2026.

Marcos and the Philippines have lengthy emphasised the significance of center powers and smaller nations working collectively to form their very own future amid the superpower rivalry between america and China.

Missiles proceed to launch within the Gulf, triggered by a “pre-emptive” strike by america, as soon as the purveyor of a global system based mostly on guidelines, norms, and predictability. Nearer to house, in waters it calls the West Philippine Sea, Manila continues to face a China that’s additionally been overtly flouting worldwide legislation, together with the hard-won 2016 arbitral award.

Why a UN SC seat? 

“Bakit nga ba mahalaga na magkaroon tayo ng seat sa UN Safety Council? Uulitin po natin, mahalaga po ito dahil nagbibigay ito sa Pilipinas ng kapangyarihan at boses sa mga usaping world security at safety. Importante po ang mga usaping ito para sa mga Pilipino at mga mamamayan mula sa mga growing international locations. Might influence po ito sa ating sovereignty, maritime safety, sa world economic system at sa security ng ating Abroad Filipino Employees (OFW),” stated Division of International Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Assistant Secretary Angelica Escalona on a briefing on March 7. 

(Why is it necessary for the Philippines to get a seat within the UN Safety Council? It’s necessary as a result of it offers the Philippines energy and a voice in discussions of worldwide security and safety. That is necessary for Filipinos and for individuals from growing international locations. This has an influence on sovereignty, maritime safety, the worldwide economic system, and the security of our Abroad Filipino Employees.)

It’s not simply Marcos who has modified, in demeanor and circumstance, since his final UNGA go to. The world has modified dramatically since — extra so, even in simply the previous two weeks.

When Marcos spoke of “tectonic shifts” in his handle in 2022, he was referring principally to the modifications and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s warfare on Ukraine, and developments in expertise.

“Widening geopolitical polarities and sharpening strategic competitions are reworking the worldwide political panorama. A profound lack of belief is placing monumental strains on our multilateral system,” Marcos stated in 2022. 

The pressure had elevated exponentially since.

Earlier than February 2026 ended, the US, a treaty ally of the Philippines and a everlasting member of the UN SC, launched what it has generally claimed have been preemptive strikes in opposition to Iran, alongside Israel. President Donald Trump and his administration’s clarification for these strikes and the “imminent” menace that will have justified them has been erratic, at greatest.

Iran responded by placing its neighbors within the Gulf, in addition to Israel. It’s a battle that has introduced a lot of the Center East to a standstill. Whereas the battle doesn’t contain the Philippines straight, its results have been felt instantly — over the security of tens of millions of OFWs within the area, and oil costs again house.

Malacañang and the DFA framed the New York go to additionally within the context of the tensions within the Center East.

“Napakahalaga po ng biyaheng ito, ito po ang tamang pagkakataon dahil sa mga nangyayari ngayon sa Center East. Ang UN ang pinakaangkop na lugar upang manawagan ang ating Pangulo para sa kapayapaan sa Center East at sa kaligtasan ng lahat ng mga sibilyan lalo na ng ating mga kababayan,” defined Escalona. 

(This journey is necessary and occurs at an opportune time due to what is occurring within the Center East. The UN is the very best platform for the President to make a name for peace within the Center East and the security of civilians, particularly our countrymen.) 

The scenario within the Center East can even be on the agenda when Marcos meets Guterres, whose tenure as UN Secretary Common ends in 2026. 

Guterres has condemned the escalation of hostilities within the Center East, notably the “use of pressure by america and Israel in opposition to Iran, and the next retaliation by Iran throughout the area, [undermining] worldwide peace and safety.” 

Marcos has been much less sturdy in his rhetoric on the scenario within the area, however has known as for a cessation of hostilities. 

Philippines’ voice within the area, globally 

The Philippines’ marketing campaign for a UN SC seat has been fairly public and outstanding and has been a near-constant speaking level for diplomats and the President. Kyrgyzstan, which has by no means been a member of the UN SC, can be vying for a seat within the 2027–2028 time period.

For Manila, the significance of the seat has all the time been about having a say in world safety points and its religion in a multilateral system, regardless of its painfully apparent shortcomings and limitations. Whereas commentators have typically emphasised the importance of a UN SC seat within the context of the Philippines’ dispute with the superpower China within the South China Sea, Manila itself has been aware of signalling that this gained’t essentially be a precedence ought to it safe a slot within the council.

The Philippines, in any case, is balancing one other gargantuan activity: the chairmanship of the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the identical 12 months as a border battle between Thailand and Cambodia, a Myanmar that has but to adjust to the 5-Level Consensus, and aspirations to conclude a Code of Conduct (COC) for the South China Sea.

The argument may very well be simplified this manner: a seat for the Philippines within the UN SC means a voice with ethical ascendancy that stands for worldwide legislation and the rules-based order within the broadest phrases — and never simply relative to its particular maritime pursuits.

The UN SC is taken into account probably the most highly effective physique within the UN and is tasked with upholding “worldwide peace and safety in accordance with the ideas and functions of the United Nations.” Earlier than the UNGA is the place sentiments are made by member nations. It’s within the UN SC that these sentiments are, theoretically, was motion.

5 international locations are everlasting members of the UN SC and have veto energy, which implies one vote from them may thwart any decision or proposed motion. They’re China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US.

The Philippines is amongst those that have known as for reform and higher inclusivity within the UN SC, in addition to “an empowered Common Meeting that may maintain the Council to account,” Marcos stated in 2022.

The final time Manila held a non-permanent seat on the Safety Council was from 2004 to 2005, or 20 years in the past. It beforehand held seats in 1957, 1963, and from 1980 to 1981.

Marcos’ official delegation for the two-day working go to contains First Woman Louise Araneta-Marcos, Secretary of International Affairs Maria Theresa Lazaro, Secretary of Migrant Employees Hans Leo Cacdac, Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., and Appearing Communications Secretary Dave Gomez. – Rappler.com