There are no formal discussions yet on the establishment of a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and Japan, according to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, Feb. 8.
This is the President’s response to queries on boosting defense cooperation with Japan.
In a media interview during the Philippine delegation’s flight to Japan, Marcos noted Japan’s assistance to the Philippine Coast Guard.
PANOORIN: Pahayag ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. kaugnay sa higit na pagpapatibay sa ugnayan ng Pilipinas at Japan sa maritime security, partikular sa usapin sa South China Sea. | via Naomi Tiburcio#PBBMJapanVisit
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— PTVph (@PTVph) February 8, 2023
“Yung support nila sa Coast Guard, matagal na yan… that kind of cooperation has been ongoing. Siguro sa kanilang palagay, the next step is to the improvement, rehabilitation sa Subic, para nga sa Coast Guard,” Marcos said.
“Naturally, the reason behind all this is they would like to have more patrols along… South China Sea para naman we can assure the freedom of passage,” he added.
Marcos’ working visit in Japan seeks to strengthen ties in areas of security, trade, among others.
“So this is a new element to our relationship because we’re now talking about security of the region. So being, of course, all interested in the same thing, i.e., security in the region, I think cooperation is not a bad thing,” he said. AG – gb
