Philippine Navy contingent join opening ceremony of South Korean exercise

May 1, 2019

The Philippine Navy contingent joined the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Maritime Security and Counterterrorism Exercise in South Korea on Wednesday morning.

Lt. Maria Christina Roxas, Naval Task Group 80.6 public affairs officer, said the ceremony was held at the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy fleet headquarters at Busan Naval Base.

“Philippine Navy contingent commander, Captain Roy Vincent Trinidad together with the officers and men of BRP Andres Bonifacio (PS 17) under Captain Jerry Garrido Jr, attended the ceremony,” she said.

Roxas said navy contigents from Australia, Brunei, China, India, Japan Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, US and Vietnam also joined the ceremony.

She said Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, New Zealand and Russia also joined as observers.

Roxas said “during the program, Rear Admiral Lee Seong Yeoul, ROK-Navy 3rd Fleet Commander formally opened the exercise and welcomed the participating countries for the ADMM-Plus maritime security combined exercise.”

“He (Yeoul) stated that the exercise is an opportunity to hone joint response capability on maritime security issues and to further promote the “friendship, partnership, and relationship” among participating navies,” she said.

Roxas said ROK-Navy Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral Park Ki Kyun also emphasized the importance of maritime security in the region.

“This year’s FTX takes the great meaning to establish defense cooperation system and promote friendships,” Kyun said.

“The exercise will provide an opportunity to stabilize the maritime security environment in the region by promoting defense cooperation and trust among participating nations,” he added.

Roxas said the Philippine Navy’s participation in this year’s exercise which is co-chaired by the Republic of Korea Navy and the Royal Singaporean Navy “manifests its commitment in promoting multilateral cooperation in a multinational environment for peace and stability among ASEAN and other regional navies.” Robina Asido/DMS