Tess Lazaro

Maria Theresa Parreño Lazaro is a Filipino diplomat and lawyer currently serving as the 29th Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, a position she assumed in 2025. A career diplomat who joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1984, she has held numerous international posts, including Ambassador to Switzerland and Ambassador to France and Monaco. Prior to her current cabinet role, she served as Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs, where she was a key negotiator in maritime disputes in the South China Sea. Lazaro is recognized for her pragmatic approach to diplomacy and her commitment to upholding the rules-based international order and the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration award.