When we speak of allies in the West Philippine Sea, the names that first come to mind are the United States and Japan. Yet there is another partner, less spoken of but increasingly important, that has become both an economic ally and a strategic friend: India.
At first glance, India’s connection to the Philippines seems distant. We do not share borders, seas, or a long colonial history. But what we share are values: democracy, resilience, and the struggle to thrive beside larger and more powerful neighbors. That common story has drawn our nations closer, not only in defense but also in the very backbone of our modern economy: IT and business process outsourcing (BPO).
A shared story of outsourcing success
India was the world’s pioneer in outsourcing, long before the term “BPO” became part of business language. Its cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune became hubs for software development, finance, and back-office solutions. The Philippines, on the other hand, grew into the global leader in voice-based customer service, thanks to our English fluency and cultural affinity with Western clients.
What could have been rivalry has instead become complementarity. Many multinationals now structure their global service delivery between the two nations: complex analytics and IT systems handled in India, customer engagement and healthcare support handled in the Philippines. A bank in New York or London may depend on Bangalore for its financial analytics while relying on Manila for its 24/7 hotline.
This partnership has created jobs, trained workforces, and established both India and the Philippines as indispensable to global business continuity. Indian IT giants such as Infosys, Wipro, Tata Consultancy Services, Hinduja Global Solutions and Tech Mahindra have established operations here, sharing not just contracts but also technology and expertise. Our workers learn from their long experience, while Indian firms benefit from our deep bench of skilled and customer-oriented talent.
Affordable medicine and shared well-being
But the partnership is not confined to the IT floor or the call center. India has also quietly benefited the Philippines through its robust pharmaceutical industry. Many generic medicines widely available in the Philippines — from antibiotics to maintenance drugs — are produced by Indian companies. These have helped make healthcare more affordable for millions of Filipino families who would otherwise struggle with high costs.
This dimension of the partnership is often overlooked, yet it touches daily life in profound ways. Where the IT-BPO relationship empowers our workers, the pharmaceutical connection sustains our households.
Strategic cooperation beyond business
India is also emerging as a security partner for the Philippines at a time when we need it most. In 2022, Manila signed a landmark deal with New Delhi to acquire the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system, a major step in strengthening our external defense posture against threats in the West Philippine Sea.
This is not accidental. India knows what it is like to live beside a giant. For decades, it has had border tensions with China and Pakistan, facing the same challenge we face today: how to uphold sovereignty and independence beside more powerful rivals. That parallel gives India’s support greater meaning. It is not just about selling weapons; it is about solidarity born of lived experience.
The Indo-Pacific balance
India is also part of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the “Quad”), alongside the United States, Japan, and Australia. This grouping champions a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, the very principle at stake in the West Philippine Sea. Interestingly, India is also a member of BRICS, which includes China. This dual membership underscores India’s balancing act: economically engaging with China while strategically resisting its hegemony.
For the Philippines, this is an opportunity. India’s independent voice carries weight. When New Delhi affirms support for UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral ruling, it shows that upholding international law is not simply a Western stance but a broadly Asian interest.
From call centers to coastlines — and to family
The Philippines–India relationship thus spans both our digital frontlines and our maritime ones. In business, we are partners in keeping the world’s offices and call centers running. In healthcare, India’s pharmaceutical trade has made affordable medicines more accessible to Filipino families. And in security, we are partners in keeping sea lanes free and lawful.
For me, this partnership is not distant. My own family carries both Indian and Filipino roots, a reminder that the bridges we build between nations are also the bridges we build within our homes. It is a quiet sign that what binds us is not just shared strategy, but shared humanity.
Both dimensions, national and personal, rest on a deeper foundation: the belief that smaller nations can stand strong when they stand together, and that democracy and discipline can flourish even beside larger powers.
In the years ahead, as we face both economic uncertainty and maritime tension, India’s role in our story will only grow. It is time we recognize this partnership more clearly, not as a footnote to great-power rivalry, but as a model of how two peoples, bound not by proximity but by shared values, can support each other.
From call centers to coastlines, from medicine to family, India matters to the Philippines.