By Siti Diana Othman, Directorate of Defence Policy
BOLKIAH GARRISON, Wednesday 11 April 2012 - The 6th Joint Defence Working Committee (JDWC) Meeting between Brunei Darussalam and Republic of the Philippines was held today at the Officers’ Mess, Bolkiah Garrison, Ministry of Defence, Brunei Darussalam.
The Meeting was co-chaired by Permanent Secretary (Defence Policy and Development) of the Ministry of Defence Brunei Darussalam, Haji Awang Saifulbahri bin Haji Awang Mansor, and the Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs and Strategic Concerns, Department of National Defense, Republic of the Philippines, Pio Lorenzo F. Batino.
Also in attendance at the meeting were senior officers from the Ministry of Defence, senior military personnel from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and representatives from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Meanwhile, from the Philippine’s side, delegates comprises of civilian and military officers from Office of the Assistant Secretary for Strategic Assessment, Office of Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Office of Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence as well as representative from the Philippine Embassy in Brunei Darussalam.
At the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitments to strengthen further their defence ties. A range of bilateral matters was discussed, including bilateral exercises, courses and training and intelligence exchanges. During the exchange of views, Brunei Darussalam gave a brief presentation on the new Defence White Paper 2011, and the country’s perspective to maritime security, while the Philippines briefed the meeting on situational updates of the Spratlys Island/West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) and the security situation in Mindanao.
As part of their visit in Brunei Darussalam, the Philippine’s delegation had the opportunity to visit the Brunei Museum, the Royal Regalia Museum and Kampong Ayer in Bandar Seri Begawan.
The JDWC between Brunei Darussalam and Republic of the Philippines was established through the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence Cooperation between the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and the Government of the Philippines signed on 22 August 2001. The MoU serves as a framework for fostering closer defence relations and cooperation between the defence establishments and armed forces of both countries, such as military training, military exercises exchange of information on matters pertaining to security, training and defence products, and exchange of visits between the respective defence and military officials.
The next JDWC Meeting is to be held in the Philippines.