The discussions on a potential trilateral security agreement with Japan and the United States are still in their “very early stages,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said on Tuesday.

During his policy talk in Tokyo, Japan, Manalo revealed it was agreed that trilateral arrangements should be investigated, but at this point, Terms of Reference and activities will still be discussed.

“[T]here was an understanding that we should explore the possibility of trilateral arrangements, but at this stage, we still have to discuss the Terms of Reference, what kind of activities, so it's really very much in the early stages,” he said.

Japan and the US have already conducted trilateral activities in the Sulu Sea but the exact terms of partnership have not yet been determined.

Meanwhile, in a bilateral meeting, Hayashi Yoshimasa, the foreign minister of Japan, and the foreign minister of the Philippines have also agreed to steadily carry out all bilateral, multilateral, or trilateral projects of cooperation between the two countries with the US.

The ministers also talked about regional issues like abduction, how to deal with North Korea's nuclear and missile activities, the South China Sea, the situation in Ukraine, and economic pressure.

Both officials also discussed economic cooperation, with Hayashi restating Japan's aim to actively assist the Philippines in achieving upper middle-income status, according to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Written By Dana Ebreo, DZRH News Online Intern