MANILA, Philippines – A Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) ship made its port call in Manila over the weekend, reaffirming the strong bilateral relations between Singapore and the Philippines.
The RSS Endeavour, an Endurance Class Landing Ship Tank (LST), which is fully designed and built in Singapore, made a goodwill visit to the Philippines from 13 to 16 February, 2025; and is part of the Midshipman Sea Training Deployment (MSTD) programme, the Embassy of Singapore said in a news release.
According to the Embassy, this is the first port call of an RSN vessel in Manila, but have regularly visited other ports in the Philippines.
A reception onboard the RSS Endeavour was held last Friday, 14 February 2025, for more than a hundred guests from the Philippine Armed Forces, the Philippine government, the diplomatic community, as well as the Singaporean community in the Philippines.
The event was presided by Deputy Commander of the Maritime Training and Doctrine Command Colonel Wong Chng Tong and Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Wong Ka Ming, the Embassy confirmed.
The event was also graced by Singapore Ambassador to the Philippines Constance See and the Philippine Navy’s Commander of the Sealift Amphibious Force Commodore Ireneo Battung, the Embassy added.
In her remarks, Ambassador See underscored the robust and growing partnership between Singapore and the Philippines, as both countries celebrated the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2024.
“There is strong cooperation in many areas such as trade, investment, labour, education, culture and biodiversity conservation,” Ambassador See mentioned.
She also highlighted the “significant strides” both countries have made in the past two years, particularly regarding the bilateral relationship on defense, citing the Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation which was signed in July 2024 and was built on the 2023 Agreement concerning the conduct of education, training assistance and support activities on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Proof of this is the timely contribution of the Singapore Armed Forces to the relief operations for victims of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine which hit the Philippines in October last year, Ambassador See stated.
The Republic of Singapore Air Force deployed a C-130 transport aircraft which flew 16 sorties and delivered 70 tonnes of emergency supplies to affected communities, the Embassy said.
Ambassador See also stressed in her remarks the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight as important principles of international law.
“First, as a small country, international law was critical for Singapore. As a country whose trade was three times more than its GDP, freedom of navigation and overflight are extremely important principles of international law for Singapore,” she mentioned
“The Philippines is a like-minded country that respects and promotes international law,” said Ambassador See, stating that Singapore was happy to “work with the Philippines, as well as other ASEAN Member States, and regional and international partners, to continue to uphold international law.”
“Second, peace and stability has been, and will continue to be, the basis of the region’s growth and development. Ambassador See stressed that it is “imperative that all countries work together to resolve any differences through dialogue and diplomacy.”
Third, ASEAN remains the cornerstone of Singapore’s foreign policy, and it is important for countries in the region to work together to ensure that the region is well-equipped to effectively tackle the complex challenges facing the region, Ambassador See said.
“The RSS Endeavour’s visit to a fellow founding member of ASEAN was a testament to both countries’ commitment to ASEAN centrality and unity,” added Ambassador See, as she reiterated Singapore’s support for the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship in 2026.
