Manila, 14 July 2021 (TDI): Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs Neal Imperial and Singapore Foreign Ministry Deputy Secretary Ng Teck Hean held talks and agree on cooperation. Both nations are committed to continuing to strengthen bilateral cooperation in defense, security, trade and investments, pandemic response, and the protection of overseas Filipinos in Singapore. This was further discussed during this important virtual 5th Informal Consultations on the Philippines-Singapore Action Plan (ICPSAP) held on 14 July 2021.
Here are the highlights:
- Both sides had conducted discussions about each of its developments in their bilateral relations, exchanged dialogues on cooperation initiatives, and strategies to enhance the engagement and collaboration of the two countries.
- Philippines and Singapore aimed at committing to coordinating and working together on global and regional security issues. Both countries agreed to intensify both of their maritime domain awareness, counterterrorism, defense industry development, intelligence exchange, joint military training, and law enforcement.
- Discussed various initiatives to advance economic ties and to hasten post-pandemic recovery. Both sides emphasized their key projects about the exchanges of Philippine agricultural products to Singapore, and Singapore’s bid to diversify its food import sources.
- Furthermore, Singapore was invited to invest in the development of the Philippines’ green and smart cities, industrial parks and economic zones, clean and renewable energy sources, as well as in waste and water management systems. Also, both sides had agreed to promote innovation, support startups, and MSMEs, enhance creative industries, improve ICT infrastructure, and cooperate in cybersecurity and data protection.
- With more than 200,000 Filipinos in Singapore, the country acknowledges its contribution to its socio-economic development and its response to COVID-19. In addition, the Philippines ensures the welfare of Filipino workers in Singapore through the reiteration of a bilateral labor agreement proposal.
The Informal Consultations on the Philippines-Singapore Action Plan (ICPSAP) is held annually in a review of the implementation of the Philippines-Singapore Action Plan. This plan is a consolidated framework identifying priority areas for mutually beneficial collaboration.
