In recent months, defense and manpower ties between the two countries grew as they mark 55 years of diplomatic relations. In July, Singapore and the Philippines signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to deepen defense cooperation in areas such as military education and anti-terrorism, building on existing collaborations in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Furthermore, in their recent meeting, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Singapore Defense Minister Dr. Ng Eng Hen discussedongoing collaborations in regional frameworks such as the ASEAN defense minister forums and counterterrorism efforts. The defense partnership is significant considering rising security challenges in the region, especially in the South China Sea.
In August, the Philippines and Singapore also signed an MOU on the recruitment of Filipino healthcare workers. The MOU demonstrates a “formal mechanism to govern and regulate the deployment of Filipino healthcare workers to Singapore.” This agreement was followed by a visit to Singapore by Philippine Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, where he met with Singapore’s Minister for Manpower Dr. Tan See Leng and Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung to bolster the welfare and protection of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Singapore. The discussions focused on critical issues such as illegal recruitment, human trafficking, excessive placement fees as well as commitments in human resource development and capacity building.
