ENRIQUE A. MANALO

Enrique A. Manalo is a Filipino diplomat currently serving as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the Marcos Jr. administration since July 1, 2022. He also previously served as Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2011 to 2016, Undersecretary for Policy of the Department of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2020, and the 21st Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations from 2020 to 2022.

 

Early life and education

Manalo was born on July 21, 1952, in Manila to diplomats Armando Manalo and Jimena Austria. Manalo attended the University of the Philippines Manila, where he obtained both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in economics.

Career

Enrique Manalo has had a long and distinguished career in the Philippine foreign service, starting in 1979. He has held various key positions, including Special Assistant to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, First Secretary at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., and Minister Counselor at the Philippine Mission to the UN in New York.

He served as Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva and was elected chairman of the World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly (2005-2007). Manalo also served as DFA Undersecretary for Policy, Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, the UK, and Germany, and as acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs in 2017.

In 2020, he was appointed Permanent Representative to the UN, presenting his credentials to Secretary-General António Guterres. In July 2022, President Bongbong Marcos appointed him Secretary of Foreign Affairs, a position he continues to hold. His appointment was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments in September 2022.