September, a reminder of what truly matters

September is a special month in the Philippines. Not just for the start of the long festive season but for many reasons. In September, we celebrate Education Week. This month marks also the Rule of Law Month. In its second week, we commemorate the World Global Clean and Green Week (Sept. 17-23). These three initiatives symbolize concern for the future and are particularly close to both the EU’s and the Philippines’ hearts.

Strengthening connectivity through education

Education has been one of our pillars in the EU-Philippines Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. Our Erasmus+ scholarship and mobility program fosters intercultural understanding through cooperation with third countries like the Philippines. It also gives Filipino students and academics the opportunity to learn and exchange experiences in Europe through local initiatives that support civic, digital and climate education. This is crucial for the EU, as only an informed society can address global challenges and make informed decisions for the future.

On average, we have a total of 60-70 Filipino Erasmus scholarship holders who have embarked on joint master’s degrees. I had the pleasure of meeting some of them. They have completed their master’s and doctoral degrees with distinction and are now recognized professionals in their fields. Between 2021 and 2025, 1,132 Filipinos have benefited from Erasmus+, including international mobility (students and staff), Erasmus Joint Master’s Degrees and Erasmus Mundus scholarships. The Ateneo de Manila University also benefited from the Jean Monnet Program, which enabled it to offer joint, double and multiple degrees in the country.

The EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package (SCOPE) is another umbrella for the EU-Philippines collaboration. It aims at improving the training, education and working conditions of Filipino seafarers, in line with international standards.

Moreover, we are providing training at the national and local levels to use the space data from the first ever Copernicus data center, together with European universities and private sector. The center gives access to European satellites and Copernicus space data – crucial to manage disaster risk management, protect biodiversity and promote economic growth.

The rule of law is the foundation of trust

The Philippines was one of the co-founding members of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2011. Since then, it has embarked on a complex journey of reforms. The European Union’s engagement on good governance in the Philippines stems from our mandate to contribute to democracy, the rule of law and the promotion and protection of human rights. The activities and commitments under the OGP in the Philippines is led by the administration and the OGP Local Program has five active members at LGU level: South Cotabato; Tagbilaran City, Bohol; Larena, Siquijor; Quezon City and Baguio City. They have adopted and mainstreamed the principles of open government.

In addition, with EU support, the Government launched the Child Budget and Expenditure Tagging and Tracking (CBETT) tool in August 2025 to enhance child-responsive budgeting and strengthen local investments in children’s programs. This is to ensure that local governments prioritize and fund programs for child welfare, health, nutrition and education. The tool’s roll-out has been planned in phases, from 2025 to 2028, to ensure a smooth and sustainable scale-up across the country. In 2025, the signatory agencies will focus on getting communities ready, starting with municipalities and provincial LGUs: San Antonio, Quezon; Calbiga, Samar; Datu Abdullah Sangki, Maguindanao del Sur.

During this time, regional and provincial oversight teams will be trained, and Public Finance for Children committees will be created to help manage public funds. In 2026, the tool will be introduced in all 80 provinces and 144 cities. In 2027, the tool is expected to reach all 1,600 municipalities nationwide, with data generated from its implementation used to inform evidence-based planning, budgeting and prioritization of programs for children.

In the pipeline for this year is a new program to support the Department of Budget and Management in the implementation of the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA). The focus will be on enhancing the transparency, accountability and competitiveness of public procurement. Two key areas of work to achieve this will be the support to the expansion of the government’s online procurement system (PhilGEPS) – a tool that centralizes all procurement information, enables public monitoring of procurement – and the strengthening of procurement oversight through the participation of civil society organizations. Indeed, the program will work with civil society organizations to increase their effective participation in the monitoring of public procurement, in line with the increased role the NGPA gives them.

A green future is our shared responsibility

The EU promotes a transition towards a green economy, reducing waste and plastic, protecting biodiversity and promoting renewable energy sources. Our model is simple: right policies, skills and green investments. An example? The EU Circular Economy Action Plan that, among others, promotes the reuse and recycling of products and resources by improving product design and reducing waste to ensure economic benefits from recycled materials.

The European Union-Philippines Green Economy Partnership is built on shared values and mutual learning, working together for a greener future. We are scaling innovation for green MSMEs and start-ups where it matters the most- covering over 20 LGUs in the country, working with the community and building on the knowledge of the local people. Mindanao and BARMM are included in our program and we will double our local engagement in the next year.

And it matters because?

Because we live in times where values like education, the rule of law and environmental protection cannot be taken for granted. Geopolitical dynamics demonstrate how easily we can lose them. Global tensions, disinformation and climate change all mean we need strong partnerships and collective action, like those exemplified by the EU-Philippines partnership.

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Massimo Santoro is the Ambassador of the European Union to the Philippines.