Phl, Vietnam eye joint maritime exercises

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines and Vietnam are mulling over the holding of joint maritime exercises in the West Philippine Sea.

Navy chief Vice Admiral Alexander Pama yesterday said that the matter was discussed in a meeting between him and Vietnam’s Navy chief Nguyen Van Hien recently.

Pama visited Vietnam from March 14 to 17 to boost cooperation between the two nations.

“The visit was expected to provide opportunities for the conduct of joint maritime exercises in the West Philippine Sea (northeast of Vietnam) and other common maritime domains following proper diplomatic channels under guidance from the Department of National Defense,” Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay said.

Pama and Hien also tackled proposals aimed at establishing a communication hotline for the operation centers of the two navies.

The Philippines and Vietnam are among the six claimants of the Spratly Islands, an area in the West Philippine Sea rich in mineral and marine resources. Other countries are China, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.

Tonsay said the Philippine delegation to Vietnam was led by Pama, Commodore Joseph Rustom Pe, commander of the Naval Forces West based in Palawan, and Navy Captain Danilo Rodelas, the assistant chief of Naval Staff for Plans.

He said the Philippine Navy officials toured Naval Shipyard X46, also known as Hai Long Shipbuilding Co., which is equipped with state of the art shipbuilding and repair yard facilities with the capability to build various kinds of warships and high-speed vessels.

“Sharing of shipbuilding expertise was one possible area for cooperation during the tour,” Tonsay said.

Pama and Hien also signed an agreement called the “Standing Operating Procedure on Personnel Interaction in the vicinity of Southeast Cay and the Northeast Cay Island between the Vietnamese People’s Navy and Philippine Navy” aimed at strengthening their troops’ cooperation and information sharing.

The Philippine Navy offered its full support to Vietnam’s initiatives such as student visits and participation in interactive activities.

The two Navy chiefs also discussed the Philippines’ proposal of sending Filipino sailors to train in the Naval Shipyard X46.