During her visit, Minister Reynolds announced that Australia would provide up to $2 million in medical and personal protective equipment (PPE) to support the country’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Minister Reynolds, the funds will be used to better equip infectious disease wards at the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ five main medical centres.

The supplies include beds, mechanical ventilators, electrocardiogram machines, laboratory fridges, cardiac monitors, pulse oximeters, and UV sterilisers.

This latest contribution builds on the $1 million in support that Australia provided via its Enhanced Defence Cooperation Program for the expansion of the infectious disease ward of the Victoriano Luna Medical Center in Manila earlier this year.

The ministers also reaffirmed their shared commitment to maintaining regional security, making specific reference to tensions in the South China Sea.

The pair expressed support for the rights of all states to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The ministers also noted recent efforts to strengthen defence ties between the countries, which included ongoing counter-terrorism co-operation under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Program, established in December 2019.

The program builds on Operation Augury-Philippines, which delivered counter-terrorism capacity training to over 10,000 members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines between 2017 and 2019. 

Minister Reynolds said the nations would also continue to co-operate through the conduct of COVID-safe exercises between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Australian Defence Force, and defence industry co-operation.

“The Philippines is an important security partner for Australia, and we continue to work closely together in support of our shared commitment to an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Minister Reynolds said.

[Related: Australia to establish resident defence adviser in Brunei]

Charbel Kadib

News Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media

Prior to joining the defence and aerospace team in 2020, Charbel was news editor of The Adviser and Mortgage Business, where he covered developments in the banking and financial services sector for three years. Charbel has a keen interest in geopolitics and international relations, graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in politics and journalism. Charbel has also completed internships with The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts and public relations agency Fifty Acres.