BILATERAL RELATIONS
Diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Italy were established on 9 July 1947, starting with the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and General Relations in Rome. The first Philippine Diplomatic Mission to Italy was established on 5 July 1948 as a Legation, and subsequently elevated to the level of an Embassy on 9 August 1956.
The People Power Revolution in 1986 marked the beginning of expansion of bilateral relations. Italy was among the first countries to recognize the Aquino Government in the Philippines. Since then, several high-level visits have taken place, notably the visits of Presidents Aquino, Fidel Ramos and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to Italy in June 1988, September 1994 and June 2006 respectively, as well as the visit of Prime Minister Romano Prodi to the Philippines in October 1997.
In December 2015, President Benigno S. Aquino III made an official visit to Italy. During the visit, he met President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
This year, the Philippines and Italy celebrate their 73rd year of diplomatic relations.
BILATERAL AGREEMENTS
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1947, the Philippines and Italy have concluded several agreements. These agreements, among others, include those pertaining to scientific and technical cooperation, air services, taxation, investments, development cooperation, culture, social security, small and medium enterprises, transportation and communications, and defense.
| AGREEMENTS | STATUS |
| Treaty of Friendship | Signed: Rome, 9 July 1947 |
| Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation | Signed: Manila, 2 May 1969 |
| Air Services Agreement | Signed: Manila, 25 January 1969 |
| Waiver of Non-Immigrant Visa Requirements | Exchange of Notes on 4 September 1970 |
| Double Taxation | Signed: 5 December 1980 |
| Agreement concerning the Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investments | Signed: Rome, 17 June 1988 during the visit of President Corazon Aquino |
| Memorandum of Understanding on Economic Cooperation | Signed: Rome, 17 June 1988 during visit of President Aquino |
| General Agreement on Development Cooperation | Signed: Rome, 17 June 1988 during visit of President Aquino |
| Cultural Agreement | Signed: Rome, 17 June 1988 during visit of President Aquino |
| Agreement for the Rescheduling of RP Foreign Debt to Italy | Signed: Rome, 17 June 1988 during visit of President Aquino |
| Memorandum of Understanding on Social Security | Signed: Rome, 17 June 1988 during visit of President Aquino |
| Credit Agreement for the Bacon-Manito Geothermal Power Plant project | Signed: Rome, 17 June 1988 during visit of President Aquino |
| Credit Agreement for the Balog-Balog Multi-Purpose Dam Project | Signed: Rome, 17 June 1988 during visit of President Aquino |
| Memorandum of Understanding concerning Davao del Norte Integrated Area Development Project | Signed: Rome, 17 June 1988 during visit of President Aquino |
| RP/FAO/Italy Memorandum of Understanding on the project “Technical Support to Agrarian Reform and Rural Development” | Signed: Rome, 17 June 1988 during visit of President Aquino |
| MOU on Social Security of Filipinos | Signed: Manila, 30 October 1991 |
| Agreement for the Re-scheduling of RP Foreign Debt to Italy | Signed: 18 March 1993 |
| Memorandum of Understanding on the Upgrading of UP-PGH | Signed: Rome, 10 September 1994 during the visit of President Fidel V. Ramos |
| Expansion of a Wet-Blue Cow and Buffalo Leather Tannery | Signed: Rome, 10 September 1994 during the visit of President Fidel V. Ramos |
| Joint Venture to Manufacture and Distribute Monolite Building Panels | Signed: Rome, 10 September 1994 during the visit of President Fidel V. Ramos |
| Yarn Project – Dying, Printing and Furnishing Facility | Signed: Rome, 10 September 1994 during the visit of President Fidel V. Ramos |
| Construction and Financing of the San Roque Multipurpose Project | Signed: Rome, 10 September 1994 during the visit of President Fidel V. Ramos |
| Memorandum of Understanding on the Promotion of Cooperation in the Small and Medium Enterprises | Signed: Manila, 21-22 October 1997 during the visit of Prime Minister Romano Prodi |
| Memorandum of Understanding on Transportation and Communications Cooperation | Signed: Manila, 21-22 October 1997 during the visit of Prime Minister Romano Prodi |
| Letter of Intent on the National Telephone Program: Tranche 1-3 (NTP 1-3) Expansion Project | Signed: Manila, 21-22 October 1997 during the visit of Prime Minister Romano Prodi |
| Memorandum of Understanding concerning the Recognition of Training and Certification of Seafarers for Service on Philippine Flagged Vessels between the Philippine Administration and the Italy Administration | Signed by the Philippines on 26 March 2002 |
| RP-Italy Memorandum of Understanding concerning the concession for a soft loan for the “Agrarian Reform Community Development Support Project” | Signed: Manila, 3 November 2003 |
| RP-Italy Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation | Signed: Manila, 20 February 2004 |
| RP-Italy Readmission Agreement | Signed: Manila, 28 February 2004 |
| RP-Italy Memorandum of Understanding on the Automatic Conversion of Drivers’ Licenses | Signed: Rome, 28 July 2006 |
| Twinning Program of Exchange and Cooperation Agreement between the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Ifugao Rice Terraces and Cinque Terre National Park of Italy |
Signed: Kiangan, Ifugao 25 November 2009 |
| Memorandum of Understanding on the Italian Assistance to the Agrarian Reform Community Development Support Program (IARCDSP) | Signed: Cagayan de Oro, 23 March 2011 |
| Implementation Arrangement on the Procurement of Defense Equipment | Signed: Rome, 30 January 2012 |
| Debt-for-Development Swap Agreement | Signed: Manila, 12 May 2013 |
| Protocol on the Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement | Signed: Manila, 9 December 2013 |
