CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City – The Vice Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines, LtGen Arthur Cordura PAF expressed his confidence in sharing a “growing and progressive operational value” in Southeast Asia as he welcomed the delegates of the 8th Philippines-Vietnam Senior Officer’s Exchange Visit Program (SOEVP), headed by Sr. Col. Le Van Phan, Deputy Commander, Military Corp 1, Viet Nam People’s Army (VPA) in a Courtesy Call on October 16 at the General Headquarters.

“Our Armed Forces and yours have been sharing a growing and progressive operational value in Southeast Asia. For the longest time, we have endeavored to enhance our partnership. We hope that your delegation will enjoy the interactions here with our senior officers and be able to immerse yourselves in the culture that we have. We are optimistic that this visit will be productive for both our Armed Forces,” expressed LtGen Cordura.

CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City — The Philippine Navy’s (PN) BRP Benguet (LS507) warned off and issued consecutive radio challenges to China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy Ship 621 (PLAN 621) after it shadowed the former at an 80-yard distance and attempted to cross LS507's bow with a CPA (closest point of approach) of 350 yards at 5.8 Nautical Miles South West of Pag-asa Island on Friday, October 13. The PN vessel was en-route to Rizal Reef Station for the conduct of a regular rotation and resupply (RoRe) mission when the incident happened.

The PN crew cited the violation of the Collision Regulations (COLREG) in its radio challenges, and demanded that the Chinese vessel to steer clear of the BRP Benguet.  

In the wake of World Mental Health Day, the Armed Forces of the Philippines through the Office of the Surgeon General launched its Mental Health Program on October 12, 2023 with The Deputy Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Charlton Sean M Gaerlan PN(M) representing the AFP Chief of Staff as the Guest of Honor and Speaker.

The event was highlighted by the introduction of the AFP Mental Health Web Pages to improve access to mental health support, ensuring the ongoing efforts to address challenges that may impact personnel well-being and organizational performance. The event also honored benevolent stakeholders for their contributions to the cause.

CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City—The Armed Forces of the Philippines represented by LtGen William Gonzales, the AFP Inspector General, and Baroness Annabel Goldie, the UK’s Minister of State for Indo-Pacific Defence Engagement, reaffirmed PH-UK's commitment to strengthen defense relations during her visit at the AFP General Headquarters on October 12.

In their meeting, the two discussed increasing PH-UK military engagements supported by the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation that is rooted in a long history of friendship and defence cooperation engagements.