Philippines, Japan agree to further advance security partnership

MANILA, Philippines — Citing common interests and shared goals of mutual cooperation, the Philippines and Japan have agreed to further advance their security partnership.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro met with Japanese Ambassador Kahuhiko Koshikawa in Camp Aguinaldo on Thursday to discuss how both countries can continue to work together.

Following the signing of the Terms of Reference on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) activities between the two countries during the state visit to Japan of President Marcos last February, Teodoro took note of the progress of defense relations between the Philippines and Japan since his former stint as defense chief from 2007 to 2009.

He recalled that his first assignment at the time was to organize the 2009 ASEAN Regional Forum on Voluntary Demonstration of Response, a multilateral HADR event wherein Japan was among the participants.

Teodoro, during their meeting, thanked Japan for being a partner in the AFP Modernization Program through the ongoing Air Surveillance Radars Project with the Philippine Air Force.

He likewise expressed his appreciation for Japan’s assistance in responding to the oil spill incident that affected communities in Regions 4-B and 6.

Koshikawa, for his part, lauded the close and robust partnership between the two countries. Recalling World War II, the ambassador manifested his high regard for the Filipinos’ spirit of forgiveness and expressed hope that the strong bilateral ties of the Philippines and Japan could be a “force for good” and “best tribute for those who died during the war.”

The Department of National Defense said both officials explored the possibility of collaboration on the development of the Philippines’ self-reliant defense posture through research and development on defense equipment, systems and other related technologies, as well as expertise exchange.

Teodoro also welcomed Japan’s Official Security Assistance of which the Philippines was among the grantees.

Meanwhile, India is looking at opening a resident defense attaché office in the Philippines and is offering a concessional line of credit that would help in efforts to modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and India External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar discussed these and other related matters concerning defense cooperation at the 5th meeting of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation in New Delhi on Thursday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced yesterday that both officials expressed keen interest to continue to work together to further advance defense cooperation and relations between the two nations.

India, during the meeting, offered to help the Philippines through a concessional line of credit to meet Philippines’ defense requirements, including acquisition of naval assets, expansion of training and joint exercises on maritime security and disaster response.

On maritime cooperation, the DFA said Manalo and Jaishankar acknowledged the growing importance of the maritime sector for both countries and so welcomed the bilateral Maritime Dialogue and increased cooperation on hydrography.

Both ministers emphasized the utility of maritime domain awareness, and in this context called for early operationalization of the Standard Operating Procedure for the White Shipping Agreement between the Indian Navy and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The DFA said Manalo and Jaishankar looked forward to the signing of the memorandum of understanding on Enhanced Maritime Cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and the PCG.

Both ministers noted the expanding scope of India-Philippines ties and agreed to work together to further strengthen the bilateral partnership.

The DFA said Manalo and Jaishankar recalled the guidance from their leaders, President Marcos and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to forge a wide-ranging partnership spanning developmental sectors such as health, agriculture and the digital economy as well as cooperation in defense and security.