About this Event

Marking the 80th Anniversary of the Establishment of Philippines-United States
Diplomatic Relations

2026 marks the 80th anniversary of US-PH diplomatic relations and the 75th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty. Presenter (Hank Hendrickson) will talk about events leading to full Philippine independence in 1946 and chart highpoints in the relationship 80 years on, including an assessment of the current bilateral relationship. In addition, the presenter will offer a readout on the US-Philippines Society’s February 12 program in Tokyo, which aimed to raised visibility on the importance of strengthened US-PH-Japan trilateral ties.

About the Speaker

Hank Hendrickson helped launch the US-Philippines Society in Washington D.C. in May 2012 and continues to serve as the Society’s Executive Director. He is a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer, with postings in East Asia (Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Korea), Europe, and the Middle East.
During his postings to Asia, Hendrickson spent two tours in the Philippines, as a political officer (1979-83) and Counselor for Political Affairs (1995-97).

Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he was a commissioned officer in the Navy.
Hank graduated from Bucknell (BA) and holds a master’s degree from Georgetown University (MSFS). He is married to Ambassador (ret) Anne Derse.

🎟 Attendance options:
• Become a Honolulu International Forum member (includes access to future HIF events), or attend this event only:
https://pacforum.org/honolulu-international-forum/