UK Minister for Indo-Pacific in PH to strengthen maritime coop
A UNITED Kingdom (UK) official visited Manila to discuss with Philippine officials cooperation on maritime security, trade and investment, and climate and environment and reaffirmed its commitment to enduring partnership in the Indo-Pacific region.
During UK Minister of State for Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan’s two-day visit, she met with Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo and other Cabinet secretaries to discuss enhanced maritime engagement.
Manalo reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to strengthen its “enhanced partnership” with the UK.
Trevelyan met with Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) chief Commodore Artemio Abu on Friday to discuss maritime security and marine conservation as part of UK’s commitment to “deepening diplomatic, economic and security-based ties in the Indo-Pacific.”
The UK also offers the PCG and Philippine Navy a chance to train at world-renowned institutions, such as the Britannia Royal Navy College at Dartmouth.
The UK funding streams support areas of maritime collaboration, such as maritime domain awareness capacity building, tackling Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and maritime environmental protection.
Trevelyan is in Manila also for the formal launch of the “British Investment Partnerships” (BIP) in the Philippines.
The BIP will be working with the Philippine government and private sector to mobilize high-quality, reliable investment and technical expertise to support sustainable infrastructure development and the transition to clean energy in the Philippines.
BIP builds on ongoing work by UK development finance institutions, which provide funding and expertise to support resilient growth in the Philippines. This includes the UK’s Mobilist program, which is investing in green energy, including US$25m in financing for the Philippines’ first solar plants on Negros Island.
British International Investment (BII), the UK’s longstanding “development finance (programme),” will also expand investment in green infrastructure projects in the Philippines.
“The Philippines is an economic and environmental powerhouse [that stands] on the frontline of climate change and other global challenges.
Through British Investment Partnerships, we will support the development of high-quality, sustainable infrastructure to accelerate the transition to clean energy and secure a prosperous and resilient future for the Philippines,” Travelyan said.
