Philippines, Indonesia affirm cooperation fighting terrorism

August 8, 2019

The Philippine and the Indonesian armies affirmed their cooperation in fighting terrorism.

Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, Philippine Army spokesman,said the commandant of the Indonesian Army  and General Staff College (IACGSC) Maj. Gen. Kurnia Dewantara paid a courtesy call Wednesday on the Army Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Jesus Sarsagat.

"The two senior leaders discussed the continuous cooperation of the two armies to combat terrorism through the conduct of various training exchanges here in the Philippines and Indonesia," he said.

Zagala said Dewantara is heading a 61-member delegation from the IACGSC for an overseas study tour from August 5 to August 9.

"We agree that the cooperation between Indonesia and Philippines should be maintained because we face the same threat of terrorism," Zagala said.

"Through these training exchanges, we are able to learn from each other to develop the best approach to fight it and then solve the problem together,” Dewantara added.

Sarsagat also emphasized the importance of enhancing information sharing between the Philippine and Indonesian armies.

“As we face terrorism, we also have to deal with new threats like in cyber security. The Philippine Army also sees the importance of strengthening our information sharing and exchanges of intelligence as a way to defeat terrorism,” he said. 

“We have sent our soldiers in Indonesia and they are learning a lot from your experiences in fighting terrorism,” he added.

Zagala said "after the courtesy call, the delegation was given a command briefing to acquaint them with the Philippine Army’s mission, functions, and organization." Robina Asido/DMS