Senators tackle West Philippine Sea issues with Japanese PM

MANILA, Philippines — Leaders of the Senate met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday where they discussed regional security issues in the West Philippine Sea amid talks on a possible military pact between the Philippines and Japan.

Kishida held an audience with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and nine other senators as part of the delegation’s official parliamentary visit to Tokyo.

Zubiri said the visit comes at an opportune time, right when “the strategic partnership between the Philippines and Japan is evolving to even higher levels, as we adapt to the heightened global security situation, particularly the continuing maritime tensions, in our region.”

“On a daily basis, our Philippine Coast Guard records cases of harassment from foreign actors, which is depriving our country of its sovereign right to use its exclusive economic zone. That is why the Philippines is thankful for Japan’s strong support of the 2016 Arbitration Ruling and for providing us modern ships and other equipment such as radars to monitor our skies and seas,” Zubiri in a statement.

“With almost half of the Senate here with us, we hope to show to you the importance that we accord to our strategic partnership,” he told Kishida.

Also present during the meeting was Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene Garcia-Albano. Members of delegation are Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor Ejercito and Senators Nancy Binay, Pia Cayetano, Imee Marcos, Grace Poe, Sonny Angara, Sherwin Gatchalian and Mark Villar.

In February, Zubiri had also called on the Prime Minister as part of the Philippine delegation during the visit of President Marcos.

Zubiri told Kishida that right after the visit, the Senate gave its concurrence to the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, which is expected to strengthen trade and industry exchanges between the Philippines and Japan.

It was also during that February visit that Zubiri raised the need to explore a Philippines-Japan visiting forces agreement.

“This visit, particularly the briefing from the Ministry of Defense, has given us a clearer understanding of the current defense and security realities facing both our nations,” he said.

“These meetings have also prompted us to act with greater urgency to support a possible Philippines-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement that will boost the interoperability of our armed forces,” he said.

In light of Kishida’s plans to make an official visit to the Philippines, Zubiri also extended an invitation for him to address the Senate and House of Representatives in joint session.

Space agency

Meanwhile, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) has declared willingness to expand its collaboration with Japan on projects for monitoring maritime waters using space and satellite technology.

PhilSA participated in the 5th Philippines-Japan Maritime Dialogue last March 29 in Tokyo, where both countries exchanged views on the latest maritime situation in South China Sea, East China Sea, Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea, as well as Luzon Strait.

In matters related to maritime cooperation, both countries discussed the ASEAN-Japan Cooperation Framework, defense cooperation, enhancement of maritime domain awareness and maritime cooperation using space-based assets.

PhilSA was represented by engineer Edgar Paolo Violan, chief for Space Security Technologies Division, and Mary Angelie Santo Domingo, supervising science research specialist of Space International Cooperation Division.

Santo Domingo had expressed the agency’s openness to possible collaboration with Japanese counterparts in the exchange of information and capacity-building activities in emerging technologies, including the development and use of space-based assets and artificial intelligence.

This aims to enhance the country’s maritime domain awareness through monitoring of illegal unreported and unregulated fishing, and monitoring and assessment of marine habitats and pollution from ships and transboundary pollution.

PhilSA also explored cooperation on enhancing space situational awareness related to rocket launch debris and other space activities, as well as expanding the current collaborations to include and expand imagery access and analysis. – Rainier Allan Ronda