PH, Indonesia ‘enhance’ joint patrols in Sulu, Celebes seas
The Philippines and Indonesia have agreed to enhance their joint patrols in the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said over the weekend.
Brawner said Manila, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) for 2026, and Jakarta came up with this agreement during the fifth Philippine-Indonesia Military Cooperation Meeting held at the Indonesian capital on Wednesday.
“In that meeting, we discussed a lot of topics, and we agreed on enhanced joint operations, particularly our coordinated patrols in the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea,” Brawner said in his keynote speech at a Camp Aguinaldo symposium.
Aside from being a vital transient route for commercial and military ships, the Sulu and Celebes seas are also part of the so-called “coral triangle,” which is home to around 30 percent of the coral reefs in the planet.
Brawner also said both nations agreed to have enhanced exchanges in intelligence and bilateral training.
Furthermore, he said that both nations “would like to explore possibilities of both countries coordinating and collaborating on logistics for military use.”
High-level platform
The annual meeting between the AFP and the Indonesian Armed Forces are held alternately between the two nations, serving as a high-level platform to strengthen military-to-military relations between both nations.
Brawner cited the latest agreement between Manila and Jakarta as one of the ways on how Asean could become “more deliberate, more coordinated, and more forward-looking” in responding to maritime challenges.
“The challenges we face today are not confined within our national borders,” Brawner also said. “They are interconnected and evolving.”
“Our maritime domain is increasingly shaped by the shifting geopolitical dynamics, evolving security challenges, rapid technological advancement, and the intensifying effects of climate and environmental pressures,” he continued.
