THE Philippines and the United Kingdom are looking to sign a revised defense agreement before the end of the year, British Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad said Monday, Jan. 18.
The new agreement would expand both countries’ cooperation on military, security and disaster response, GMA News reported.
Ahmad did not provide specific details on the new pact, but did say it will “not be as complicated” as the agreement between the Philippines and the United States. He added that he wouldn’t describe the agreement as British troops coming to the Philippines, saying it sounds “a bit emotive.”
“I would say British expertise coming here. Two hundred fifty-one years ago, when we sent British troops here, they liked it so much, they stayed,” he said, according to Rappler.
At the moment, the two countries are exchanging drafts, he said.
The ambassador added it is not the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the US, which allows American troops to enter the Philippines for joint military training with their Filipino counterparts.
“I think, basically, it codifies what we’re already doing and some of the ambitions that we have. I don’t think it translates into something more than that.
“What happened is, the old one was so lacking in ambition that it really allowed us very little scope to do anything,” he said.
In particular, Ahmad said the two countries would like to incorporate lessons they learned during Super Typhoon Yolanda, also known as Haiyan, which struck the Philippines in November 2013 and killed more than 6,300 people.
After Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, the UK was one of the countries that helped out the most. Ahmad noted, however, that most of the cooperation between the two nations was completed “very informally.”
“We don’t have too many written protocols as to how this is done. And we want to regularize that,” Ahmad said, according to Rappler.
The ambassador was asked if the UK and Philippines decided to revise their defense agreement due to the territorial quarrels between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea, as well as the threat of terrorism, among other issues. He said that, in regard to the dispute, diplomacy is needed.
“I always say that if you’re starting to talk in terms of military intervention, then diplomacy has failed. It’s the tool of last resort,” he said, according to Rappler.
Ahmad added that Britain is keen on aiding the Philippines, which has one of the weakest militaries in Asia, enhance its defense capability.
“What we do … is we set up a whole range of options and capabilities that we actually have and it is then up to the Philippine government to decide,” he said.
He also said he isn’t ruling out the possibility of evolving the partnership between the two countries to a more strategic one that could involve joint training between Filipino and British troops.
