The Philippines and Singapore are one in the search for peace and in the Southeast Asian region.
Department of National Defense (DND) officer-in-charge, Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr. and Ambassador Gerard Ho of Singapore engaged at an assembly at DND headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, on Aug. 3.
“The two sides exchanged perspectives on the security scenario in the region,” DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong said in a statement. “Recognizing the realities of the strategic festival and overlapping territorial claims, the two sides agreed on the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region, as well as strengthening cooperation with partners. “
The assembly also said the Philippines and Singapore are like-minded countries that have common security concerns.
“Faustino recalled the exchanges between the Armed Forces of the Philippines with their Singaporean counterparts during his time in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and expressed his satisfaction with the progress made through [the two countries’] defense relations since then,” Andolong said. he also pointed to bilateral exchanges and referred to the ongoing discussions on cooperation frameworks between the defense establishments of the two countries. “
The DND spokesperson said Singapore sees itself as a long-term spouse of the Philippines, and Ho hopes such cooperation frameworks will be finalized soon.
“The OIC confided to the ambassador that DND will work with the relevant agencies on the ongoing review of the proposed framework work between the Philippines and Singapore,” Andolong confirmed.
The spokesperson added that Singapore’s envoy welcomed Manila’s participation in the Fullerton Forum and the Shangri-La Dialogue, the first annual advocacy forum in Asia organized through the city-state.
“He also welcomed the opportunities for [Faustino] . . . in Singapore,” he said.
Polish CDA visits DND
As this unfolded, Faustino interacted the day with Jaroslaw Szczepankiewicz, Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) a. i. of the Polish Embassy in Manila.
The DND OIC recalled the success of former Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in Poland in 2021 and proposed the status quo of a discussion mechanism between the defense establishments of the Philippines and Poland.
He also shared comments about Black Hawk helicopters purchased through the Philippines. The CDA welcomed customers for defense cooperation between the two countries.
The two discussed logistics and collaboration between the defense industry, and the CDA shared Poland’s reports in the defense technology box.
Andolong shared that the CDA presses on the importance of education and maintenance of existing generation through the status quo of service centers and appliance maintenance. with the exchange of reports with secure defense technologies. “
The two officials exchanged perspectives on existing regional and global security situations, as well as on their respective countries’ long-term security clients and existing partnerships.
They also recalled the history of their countries in their respective regions. Both sides also discussed the economy and the importance of food security.
Faustino welcomed the CDA’s call, as Poland is one of the European countries defending relations with the Philippines.