The Philippines and Singapore have beefed up their cooperation in combating terrorism in the region.

This was after Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. met with Singaporean Ambassador to the Philippines See Sin Yuan on June 13.

“Highlighting the shared interests within the region between the two countries, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the Arrangement on the Assignment of a Team to the Regional Counter-Terrorism Information Facility in Singapore,” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in a statement Friday.

“Secretary Teodoro said the Arrangement is a significant step toward enhancing the bilateral defense cooperation between the Philippines and Singapore.”

Meanwhile, the Singaporean diplomat said there would be more cooperation between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) after the recent signing of the Arrangement Concerning Education, Training Assistance and Support Activities on Human Assistance and Disaster Relief.

This took place on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue held on June 2-4.

“(This) would enable the AFP and the SAF to work closely together and build rapport for future cooperation,” Andolong said.

Both officials also affirmed their countries’ similar position on the primacy of upholding international law, he said.

“Secretary Teodoro also expressed appreciation for Singapore’s support and investment to the Philippines, particularly in the areas of cybersecurity and digitalization,” he added. (PNA)