E-Paper
Sign In
Philippines fails to secure UN Security Council seat, loses to Kyrgyzstan
The Philippines actually earned 85 nods in the first round of voting but its votes progressively dwindled until Kyrgyzstan eventually earned the required two-thirds vote on the fourth round
- PUBLISHED: Thu 4 Jun 2026, 1:05 PM
The Philippine government lost in its ambitious bid for a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) seat. It lost to Kyrgyzstan via a 49-142 vote from the 191 member countries present at the General Assembly in New York City on Wednesday.
The Philippines actually earned 85 nods in the first round of voting but its votes progressively dwindled until Kyrgyzstan eventually earned the required two-thirds vote on the fourth round.
Recommended For You
Observers pointed out a UNSC seat had been President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s main diplomatic objective since he came to power in 2022. It is seen as one of his efforts to deodorise his family’s reputation before the international community after their return to power since their ouster in 1986.
The President banked on his total cooperation with the US military buildup in the Indo-Pacific Region for the quest, but failed, political pundits added.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
The Philippines formerly held a UNSC seat in 1980-1981 under Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and in 2004-2005, during the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration.
The UN General Assembly elects five non-permanent members to the 15-member UN Security Council each year for two-year terms.
Alongside the council’s five permanent members — China, France, Russia, UK, and US — the elected seats are distributed by region to ensure geographical balance.
Under UN rules, member states seeking election are also assessed based on their contributions to international peace and security, as well as their support for the broader purposes and principles of the United Nations.
This is where the Marcos Jr. government failed, progressive groups said.
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance)-USA said Marcos Jr. only has himself to blame for the defeat as the vote came on the heels of questions on the killing of 19 individuals in Negros Island last April, including two US activists.
“Marcos Jr.’s bid had received international criticism from groups concerned with violations of human rights and international humanitarian law under his leadership, including the recent Negros 19 massacre,” the group reacted.
BAYAN-USA added that Marcos’ defeat was also due to relentless efforts by many Filipino groups in the Philippines and abroad to expose Marcos’ “fascist crimes against the people.”
The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) also welcomed UNSC’s rejection of Marcos’ bid for a seat the powerful council.
“When the Philippine bid was launched in December 2023, the Philippine Ambassador to the UN claimed that his government was a ‘partner, pathfinder and peacemaker’, but the UN General Assembly should know now that President Marcos Jr.’s government is at war with its civilians, at war with the Duterte family, and drowning in corruption scandals,” ICHRP chairperson Peter Murphy said.
“The loss of this bid shows the failure of Marcos Jr to sanitise his family’s bad reputation as well as that of his own administration. This poor reputation follows the notoriety of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, now committed to trial for the crime against humanity of murder at the International Criminal Court (ICC),” said Murphy.
“Marcos Jr is the opposite of a peacemaker, and he is a pathfinder to disaster for his country and the region,” ICHRP added.
ICHRP also said Marcos Jr.’s government would not be an independent actor at the UN Security Council. “Its growing dependence on US military, economic, and diplomatic support means that a Philippine seat would, in practice, function as a de facto extension of Washington’s influence, giving the US not just one vote, but an echo vote inside the Council to justify its war crimes,” Murphy pointed out.