Singapore signs eight agreements on economic cooperation with the Philippines

Singapore — On Monday (Sept 9), President Halimah Yacob witnessed the signing of eight agreements on economic cooperation between Singapore and the Philippines.

The official five-day state visit commemorates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“I am confident that the next chapter of Singapore-Philippines relations will be marked by deeper friendship and closer collaboration between our peoples and our two countries,” President Halimah said during her statement at Malacanang Palace.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte emphasized the need to “deepen” the defense and security cooperation between the two countries by “strengthening defense dialogues and training exchanges between the military and special forces.”

President Halimah also met with Manila’s Mayor Isko Moreno for a wreath-laying rite at the shrine of the Philippines’ National Hero, Jose Rizal.

The Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) includes the following:

• MOU between Temasek Foundation International, and Nanyang Polytechnic International Programme, and the Philippine Department of Education for a Design Thinking program on Innovations and Teaching and Learning of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects
• MOU between Enterprise Singapore the Philippine Department of Agriculture on Agricultural Cooperation and Related Activities
• MOU between the Skills Future Singapore Agency of the Republic of Singapore, Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority on human capital development and rescaling as well as labour skills upgrading
• MOU between Infrastructure Asia Singapore and  Development Bank of the Philippines on knowledge sharing to support infrastructure development
• MOU between the Public Utilities Board and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System on water management and technology
• MOU between the Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth and the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts
• MOU between Infrastructure Asia and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center on assisting Philippine local implementing agencies with the development or implementation of PPP projects
• MOU between Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission and the Philippine National Privacy Commission

There are more than 200,000 Filipinos working and studying in Singapore. Singapore is also the Philippines’ second largest source of foreign investments in 2018, with PHP21.18 billion (S$562.8 million) or 11.8% of total foreign pledges./TISG