Philippines to teach English to Mongolian officials

May 19, 2025 | 6:39pm

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will provide English language training to Mongolian civil servants and rural officials through a program agreed upon during Mongolian Foreign Minister Batmunkh Battsetseg's visit to Manila on Monday — the first by a Mongolian foreign minister since 1984.

During their meeting, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Battsetseg exchanged diplomatic notes for the pilot program, which will bring Mongolians to study English in the Philippines through the Technical Cooperation Council of the Philippines.

At a press conference with Battsetseg, Manalo said he "responded positively to Mongolia’s interest in learning from the Philippines’ experience in the area of regional development and in pursuing English language training for Mongolian civil servants and rural officials in the Philippines."

The English training program supports Mongolia’s plan to make English its official second language, the countries' top diplomats said in a joint statement.

The statement said both officials reaffirmed their commitment to concrete joint efforts, especially English training for civil servants and youth leaders in rural areas.

Historic visit. Battsetseg's two-day visit — which will conclude tomorrow — marks a revival of Philippines-Mongolia relations after four decades of minimal high-level diplomatic engagement. 

Both countries — describing themselves as among the world's fastest-growing economies — seek to deepen cooperation across trade, agriculture, and people-to-people exchanges, while Mongolia looks to strengthen ties beyond its traditional neighbors China and Russia. 

Manalo said he welcomed Mongolia’s “Third Neighbor Policy” and its push to strengthen ties with the Philippines, noting it aligns with the country’s pursuit for an independent foreign policy.

Of their talks, Manalo said: "I am pleased to have had a productive bilateral meeting with the Foreign Minister, which has led to the issuance of our first bilateral joint statement since 2000." 

Areas of cooperation. Manalo and Battsetseg's meeting has so far set the agenda for future agreements on protecting Filipino workers and expanding economic ties between the two nations.

Manalo said he thanked Mongolia for helping protect around 500 Filipinos currently living in the country and discussed forging "cooperative frameworks that will better protect Filipinos in Mongolia."

Both sides agreed to explore a bilateral labor agreement to safeguard Filipino workers in Mongolia, where many are employed in the mining sector and service industries.

"The Secretary and the Minister welcomed the growing people-to-people ties between the Philippines and Mongolia. They reaffirmed their commitment to promoting the welfare of Filipino workers in Mongolia, including through the exploration of a bilateral labor agreement," the joint statement read.

On economic cooperation, both countries welcomed progress on an agricultural cooperation memorandum of understanding, noting that Presidents Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Ukhnaa Khurelsukh have each identified food security as national priorities.

Security council bid. The Mongolian foreign minister also said she "further noted" the Philippines' bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for 2027-2028. 

Manalo had previously tried to seek Mongolia's support for its campaign for a seat at the powerful Security Council when he visited Ulaanbaatar last year.  

In their joint statement, both officials "emphasized adherence to the United Nations Charter and reaffirmed their commitment to the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes."

The declaration, which was adopted in Manila, calls for the peaceful resolution of international conflicts through negotiation, mediation, and other diplomatic means.