(Photo courtesy of French Embassy in Manila) MANILA - French Ambassador to the Philippines Michle Boccoz has cited President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s "strong" take on protecting the country's territory, an area she said Paris would like to further increase engagements with Manila. "Obviously, what we took a good note of when listening to the speech is also the very strong position in foreign policy. As I was mentioning, defense and security are one of the areas where we are very much involved in, where we continue to be involved," Boccoz said in a media reception Tuesday. "(S)omething that we noted (is) 'not a square inch of the Philippine territory' being (abandoned) and so the languages are strong. And this is also certainly an area where we've been working together but we can increase and further develop our cooperation." She said the two countries could enhance cooperation in maritime security or reopen discussions on possible joint p
PORT VISIT. Philippine Navy personnel wave miniature flags of the Philippines and France during the arrival of the French Navy surveillance frigate Vendemiaire (F-743) at the Manila South Harbor on Tuesday (March 8, 2022). The Philippine Navy said the port call highlights both navies' commitment to promoting maritime cooperation and regional stability. (Photo courtesy of the Philippine Navy) MANILA - The French Navy surveillance frigate Vendemiaire (F-743) arrived at the Manila South Harbor on Tuesday for a three-day port visit. In a statement Tuesday night, Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson Commander Benjo Negranza, said the visit, which runs until Friday, is part of the French Navy's deployment to Asia that aims to "cultivate regional stability, international rule of law, and partnerships among Asian countries." The French ship and its crew members were welcomed by a PN contingent led by Commander Cyrus Mendoza, captain of the PN corvette BRP Conrado Yap (PS-39), sh
MANILA TRIP. (From left) Vendemiaire Commander Alain Gaborit, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, French Ambassador Michle Boccoz, Rear Admiral Jean-Mathieu Rey during the ALPACI commander's visit to Manila on March 7, 2022. The French government is open to holding joint patrols with the Philippines within its exclusive economic zones to develop the two nations' interoperability. (Photo courtesy of French Embassy in Manila) MANILA - The French government is open to holding joint patrols with the Philippines within its exclusive economic zones to develop the two nations' interoperability. The idea was floated during the Manila visit of Rear Admiral Jean-Mathieu Rey, joint commander of the French Armed Forces in the Asia-Pacific, who also met with various Filipino military and defense officials from March 7 to 8. During these meetings, the military officials affirmed their willingness to expand operational bilateral engagement between the French and Philippine armed forces, i