The Philippines will join the Singapore-led Counterterrorism Information Facility (CTIF), which allows countries to share intelligence and provide early warnings against terrorism.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said an agreement between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Singapore Armed Forces will be signed during the state visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Singapore next week.
"[There is the] arrangement concerning the assignment of a team to the regional counter-terrorism information facility or what is called the CTIF. This will be signed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines as well as the Singapore Armed Forces," Ma. Teresita Daza, DFA spokesperson, said Friday.
By deploying a Philippine officer, the Philippines can share its experience and expertise in addressing or combatting terrorism, Daza added.
“At the same time, gather valuable intelligence from other countries and expand our defense network," she said.
The CTIF, set up by the Singapore Ministry of Defence in 2021, is a multilateral platform bringing like-minded countries to share intelligence, providing warning and analysis of terrorist activities.
Apart from counterterrorism, Marcos will also witness the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation in personal data protection between the National Privacy Commission and the Personal Data Protection Commission of Singapore.
The MOU will strengthen the digitization efforts of both countries by engendering trust in cross-border data flows and helping protect data privacy.
Marcos will proceed to Singapore upon the invitation of President Halimah Yacob after his three-day trip to Indonesia.
Daza said the state visit will bolster robust economic ties and encourage more investments to support the Philippines’ post-pandemic recovery.
"Singapore has been the Philippines’ top trading partner in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). It is the sixth largest trading partner worldwide, the top source of approved investments in 2021, and our second largest source of OFW (overseas Filipino worker) remittances," she said.
"Singapore also hosts a vibrant diaspora of 200,000 Filipinos, majority of whom are professional, skilled, and semi-skilled expatriates. For this reason, the President has decided to accept the invitation to visit Indonesia followed by Singapore for his inaugural overseas trip," she added.
Source: Philippines News Agency
