Manuel Teehankee

Manuel Antonio Javier Teehankee (born June 17, 1958) is a Filipino diplomat, international lawyer, and academic currently serving as the Philippines' Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization in Geneva since 2023. The son of prominent jurist Julio Teehankee, he previously held the same position from 2004 to 2011 and served as Undersecretary of the Department of Justice from 2001 to 2003.

Teehankee completed his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Juris Doctor at Ateneo de Manila University, where he graduated valedictorian of the 1984 Philippine Bar Examinations.^[1] As a Chevening Scholar, he earned his Master of Laws from the London School of Economics and later obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in International Law from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.

Teehankee's government career includes:

• 2001-2003: Undersecretary of the Department of Justice
• 2003: Acting Government Corporate Counsel
• 2004-2011: First term as WTO Permanent Representative
• 2023-present: Reappointed as WTO Permanent Representative by President Bongbong Marcos^[2]

At the World Trade Organization, Teehankee chaired:

• Committee on Trade and Environment (2007)
• Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology (2005-2006)
• Committee on Trade and Environment in Special Session (2008-2011)

He played a key role in formulating the 2011 Easter Package on trade and environment negotiations.

Teehankee has taught:

• Professor of International Law at Ateneo Law School
• Research Fellow at Geneva Graduate Institute

Admitted to both the New York and Philippine Bars, he has practiced with:

• Baker McKenzie (New York)
• LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae (New York)

Teehankee is the son of former Supreme Court Associate Justice Julio Teehankee. He maintains residences in Geneva and Manila.

• World Trade Organization
• Ateneo de Manila University