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Just weeks after a French frigate joined the Balikatan exercise, the destroyer Bretagne visited Manila for joint exercises with the Philippine Navy.
MANILA, Philippines — The air was thick with humidity at Port 15 in Manila’s South Harbor on Friday, May 31, as Captain Gevernegan Le Boursis, commander of the French Navy’s Bretagne, gave the media a tour of the French destroyer.
“I’ll get used to it,” he joked as he walked back to the bridge.
It’s not just the Manila evening heat that Le Bourchis, the rest of his crew or any other French officer will have to adjust to. After all, the European country is considering closer defense ties with the Philippines as France enters the preliminary stages of negotiations on a status of visiting forces agreement that would pave the way for more frequent and intimate encounters between French soldiers and their Filipino counterparts.
French Ambassador to Manila Marie Fontanel confirmed that in late May, Paris will host the fourth meeting of the Joint Commission on Cooperation and Defense. The agreement may take some time to be finalized — Manila is in the final negotiations with Japan on a similar deal called the Reciprocal Access Agreement, while Canada is also keen to start talks on a Visiting Forces Agreement.
The Bretagne is the fifth of eight destroyers commissioned by the French navy in the past decade, and Le Bourchis said the ship is “capable of carrying out all maritime combat missions.” It can engage submarines, track and attack aircraft and is equipped with radar to detect long-range surface forces.
“The ship you are on board today is a very powerful one. Its purpose is to demonstrate the commitment of the French armed forces and the French navy to the region,” Le Boursis said.
Exercises with the Philippine Navy
A French naval captain said they came to the Philippines not only to showcase French technology and assets, but also to learn from Filipino sailors.
“The Philippines understands the environment better than I do. So I am learning every day in this area. Countries including your Navy already understand the environment, share it with each other through administrative agreements, chats, interactions between sailors, and we learn a lot in our engagement with all regional partners,” he added.
Le Bourchis said that during the courtesy call with the Philippine military, the Navy raised the possibility of conducting joint exercises or joint voyages with the Bretagne. The details have not yet been finalized and more specific negotiations are expected over the weekend until Monday, June 3. The ship is scheduled to dock at Pier 5 until Tuesday, June 4.
The French navy captain said the exercise would likely be smaller than the one that the French frigate Vélez-Volvoire took part in the recently concluded Balikatan exercise, which was France’s first time participating in the annual U.S.-Philippines military drills.
Manila has been seeking to expand its defense relationships while deepening existing ones with traditional partners, such as treaty ally the United States, as well as strategic partners, such as Australia and Japan. The Philippines and its military are in the process of shifting to external defense and maritime security after decades of focusing on fighting internal separatists. One of Manila’s main concerns is China’s expansionist dreams, especially at sea. – Rappler.com
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