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Coloma, who was present during the bilateral meeting between President Benigno S. Aquino III and US President Barack Obama on Monday, said the US leader vowed to assist the Philippines in creating the National Coast Watch Center (NCWC).
The NCWC is an inter-agency mechanism which aims to enhance maritime border security, as well as in governing the country’s maritime domain, pursuant to Executive Order 57 issued in September 2011.
Coloma said Obama likewise expressed his desire to promote enhanced maritime information-sharing with its allies—the Philippines, Japan, and Australia -- to easily manage maritime conflicts and disputes.
Obama, who arrived in the Philippines for a two-day state visit, said the newly signed Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the US will benefit the two countries, particularly on military readiness and response to calamities.
The goal of the agreement is to build Philippine capacity in training and in coordination, he said in a joint press conference with President Aquino in Malacanang on Monday.
He added that the EDCA not only concentrates on maritime security, but also on enhancing the two countries’ capabilities in responding to natural disasters.
Defense Minister Voltaire Gazmin and US Ambassador Philip Goldberg on Monday morning signed the 10-year agreement that will allow for the enhanced rotational presence of U.S. forces at agreed locations in the Philippines, subject to the mutual agreement of the parties.
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Manila was the final leg of Obama’s Asian trip that also took him to Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia.
http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=1781398766990
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