THE Philippines and Cambodia recently held their first Joint Defense Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting in Phnom Penh, boosting the defense cooperation and bilateral ties between the two countries.
During their three-day meeting two weeks ago, both countries exchanged views on regional defense and security issues and tackled cyber security, counterterrorism and violent extremism and peacekeeping operations.
Both also discussed their bilateral defense relations and finalized various engagement activities, especially training and exchange visits of their army, navy and air-force personnel.
“I believe the JDCC is really important for our parties to work together to develop our defense cooperation program and development plan,” said General Neang Phat, Secretary of State of the Ministry of National Defense of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
“I believe that our troops and our people are fully committed to the meeting and to fulfill all the requirements,” added the Cambodian official who cochaired the meeting.
The JDCC was a product of the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation between the Philippines and Cambodia.
Complaints vs Xi backed
Meanwhile, the Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI) supported the filing of fishermen and former top government officials of a complaint against Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese officials for crimes against humanity.
“The complaint is a brave step against the continuing disregard of the Chinese government of the Philippines’s claim over the West Philippine Sea, which the Duterte government fails to champion,” The PMPI said.
On March 15, Filipino fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea together with former Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales filed before the International Criminal Court (ICC) a complaint over environmental damage caused by the reclamation and construction of Chinese bases in the West Philippine Sea.
“As we commend the Filipino fishermen who stand to be counted, PMPI also praises Carpio-Morales and del Rosario for accompanying our Filipino fisherfolk in what may be a long and difficult fight,” the PMPI said.
The PMPI noted that in 2015, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, which examined the ecological impact of the reclamation, declared that 311 hectares of coral reefs have been buried. “What more destruction can we expect after four years of reclamation and other illegal activities?” it said.