The Philippines has praised India’s handling of the 2026 BRICS Summit and highlighted the importance of the BrahMos missile system in its defence relationship with New Delhi. Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro described BrahMos as an important element of bilateral defence ties.
The comments followed the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr attended as the current chair of ASEAN. Manila had identified the summit as an opportunity to present ASEAN priorities and strengthen engagement with major emerging economies.
The Philippine government also welcomed India’s role in organising the BRICS Summit. Lazaro highlighted South-South cooperation as an important part of the grouping’s engagement with developing and emerging economies.
India and the Philippines have been expanding their strategic partnership, with defence and security cooperation becoming an important part of the relationship. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Marcos held talks on September 13 on the sidelines of the summit and agreed to further deepen bilateral cooperation.
Their discussions covered defence and security alongside trade and investment. The two sides also discussed cooperation in space and technology, building on the strategic partnership established in August 2025 during Marcos’ state visit to India.
The BrahMos system has become a significant part of the defence relationship. The Philippines became the first foreign customer for the Indian-Russian supersonic cruise missile system, giving defence cooperation between Manila and New Delhi a stronger strategic dimension.
Lazaro did not provide details on any possible additional BrahMos acquisitions, referring questions on that matter to the Philippines’ Department of National Defense.
