PH studying military accord with Singapore

The Philippines is said to be studying a military training agreement with Singapore and is closely watching the progress of a similar accord with Australia for lessons, the defense department said Saturday. The proposed Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) would allow Philippine and Singaporean troops to train in each other’s countries, reviving joint exercises that were suspended in 1996, said department spokesman Peter Galvez. “They are collating all the experiences with the various agreements so we can craft a well-rounded VFA (with Singapore) that everyone can agree to,” he told AFP.

Singapore had a military training agreement with the Philippines in 1994 but joint exercises were suspended in 1996 because under Philippine law the entry of foreign troops for wargames must be covered by a VFA approved by the Senate.

The United States, the country’s main defense ally, sealed such a VFA in 1999 and a similar accord with Australia is pending. Galvez said “we are more positive with the Australian VFA. If it rolls out, that will be template for the other countries”. -(ABS-CBN)