MANILA – Senior defense officials from the Philippines and France met on Wednesday to discuss the planned military exercises for next year, as well as other ongoing and emerging areas of cooperation.
Among the activities reviewed by both sides during the 5th Joint Defense Cooperation Committee (JDCC) Meeting held in Mandaluyong City were the Multinational Exercise MARARA 2026, Exercise Balikatan 2026, and Exercise SAMASAMA 2026.
"Participation in these exercises underscores the growing and long-term defense partnership between the Philippines and France," Department of Defense (DND) spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong, said in a statement Wednesday night.
Andolong said the JDCC discussions covered a wide range of cooperation areas, including an exchange of views on Indo-Pacific security developments focused on Pacific Island clusters and the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea, critical undersea infrastructures, ongoing minilateral initiatives, and broader regional strategic issues.
DND Assistant Secretary for International Affairs Marita Yoro, who led the Philippine panel in the meeting, noted the significant progress in bilateral defense cooperation between the two countries since the last JDCC in 2024.
She highlighted the French Navy's participation in Exercise Balikatan 2024, the conduct of multiple port calls in the Philippines, and the commencement of the first round of negotiations on the proposed Philippines-France Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) in Paris in June.
Yoro emphasized that the SOVFA is crucial in establishing a clear legal framework to support joint military activities.
These developments, she said, align with the 2023 Letter of Intent aimed at strengthening the defense ties between the Philippines and France.
Joined by other DND and Philippine military officials during the meeting, Yoro reiterated that the Philippines views France as a like-minded partner in promoting regional stability and maintaining a rules-based international order.
Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Jerome Theillier, head of International Security Affairs of the Directorate General for International Relations and Strategy, Ministry of the Armed Forces of France, reaffirmed France’s enduring commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and underscored its intention to remain a reliable partner and a credible provider of security alongside its regional counterparts. (PNA)