PHL, Singapore ink agreements on education, infrastructure development, culture

The Philippines and Singapore on Monday entered into eight agreements on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The eight memoranda of understanding (MOU) were exchanged by the representatives of both countries after the bilateral meeting between President Rodrigo Duterte and visiting Singaporean President Halimah Yacob in Malacañang.

Halimah said the MOUs covered infrastructure development, sustainable urban solutions like water resource management, skills training and education cooperation in preparation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, agri-trade, arts and culture and data protection.

The list of MOUs is as follows:

• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Department of Education and Temasek Foundation International and Nanyang Polytechnic International Programme on Innovations and Teaching and Learning of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) with Design Thinking

• MOU between the Department of Agriculture and Enterprise Singapore on Agricultural Cooperation and Related Activities

• MOU between Department of Trade and Industry of the Republic of the Philippines, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority of the Republic of the Philippines, and Skills Future Singapore Agency of the Republic of Singapore on cooperation on human capital development and rescaling and skills upgrading of workforce

• MOU between the Development Bank of the Philippines and Infrastructure Asia Singapore on knowledge sharing to support infrastructure development

• MOU between Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and Singapore’s Public Utilities Board

• MOU between the National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Republic of the Philippines and Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth of the Republic of Singapore on Cultural Cooperation

• MOU between Infrastructure Asia and Public-Private Partnership Center on assisting Philippine local implementing agencies with the development or implementation of PPP projects

• MOU between the National Privacy Commission of the Republic of the Philippines and The Personal Data Protection Commission of the Republic of Singapore on Cooperation in Personal Data Protection

“With the agreements signed today, we take the first of our eager steps toward the next half-century of our natural, mutually reinforcing and beneficial partnership,” Duterte said during the joint press conference.

“We will forge ahead and bring our ties to even greater heights of [purposive] cooperation and friendship between the Philippines and Singapore.”

Duterte said he discussed during his meeting with Halimah deepening cooperation in defense and security, which includes strengthening defense dialogues and training exchanges between the military and special forces.

Also discussed were ways by which the bilateral cooperation could help contribute in bringing just and lasting peace and meaningful progress and development in Mindanao which Duterte described as “one of the greatest and most crucial undertakings that our nation has embarked [upon].”

The two leaders also touched on developments in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with Halimah saying that the Philippines and Singapore “shared a common aspiration for lasting peace and prosperity in the region.

“We will work closely together in ASEAN to promote continued dialogue so as to build a strong, united, and integrated ASEAN community,” she said.

Halimah said she and Duterte agreed that the two countries can further boost trade and investment flows.

Singapore is the Philippines’ second highest source of investments in 2018, committing a total of P21.18 billion, or 11.8% of total foreign pledges. The bustling city-state is also the Philippines’ seventh largest trading partner with two-way trade at $10.49 billion.

“We hope to make progress on updating the Singapore-Philippines avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement and the expansion of the Bilateral Air Transport Agreement, which will increase connectivity and create more opportunities for collaboration and growth,” Halimah said.

The Philippines and Singapore established bilateral ties in May 1969. —LDF, GMA News