Office in the Philippines

The Spanish Technical Cooperation Office (OCE) of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) in Manila is the body responsible for the management, control, and monitoring of official development cooperation projects and programs carried out in the Philippines, within the scope of AECID's competencies. It also collaborates with programs and projects promoted by other public administrations.

Since the opening of the OCE in Manila, Spain has maintained a fluid and fruitful cooperative relationship with the Philippine government. In the early years, the cooperation was largely focused on cultural collaboration and the preservation of heritage from the Spanish colonial period. However, since the year 2000, it has shifted toward a stronger emphasis on institutional strengthening and local development, in areas such as health, education, rural development, and others.

In November 2024 a new Partnership Framework between Spain and the Philippines for 2025–2028 was signed with the aim of contributing to the consolidation of a more efficient democratic state that guarantees peace, justice, and equity, as well as to the building of a society resilient to the effects of climate change and natural hazards. To achieve these outcomes, the agreement is structured around three areas of action:

• - Promoting peaceful coexistence and human rights, as pillars of a democratic state.
• - Fostering a green, inclusive, efficient, sustainable, and climate-resilient economy, which has become especially important in light of the destruction caused by recent natural disasters.
• - Empowering women, youth, and indigenous communities, thereby strengthening the commitment to the development of the Filipino population, with respect for their own history and identity.