French warship Bretagne docks in Manila

A French Navy destroyer docked in Manila on Friday for a five-day port call as part of France and the Philippines’ joint maritime exercises. 

The visit of French frigate Bretagne — one of France’s biggest warships — was among the letters of intent the countries signed to strengthen their security cooperation, according to JP Soriano’s report on “24 Oras” on Friday. 

It likewise included the commitment to begin negotiations for a visiting forces agreement (VFA) between the Filipino and French troops. 

“Teams have started discussing the modalities of how they could open the negotiations on the VFA but to start officially the negotiation they will be few steps undertaken first,” said French Ambassador Marie Fontanel.

“The first one is to have a draft,” she said.

French frigate Bretagne is about 5,000 feet and weighs around 6,000 tonnes. It has anti-submarine warfare features and can be used by an NH90 helicopter for landing and take-off. 

The multi-purpose destroyer had already set sail to various countries such as Indonesia. 

 “We started this momentum by our first patrol in the South China Sea to better understand both the maritime actors and the environment in this region,” said Destroyer Bretagne Commanding Officer Captain Gwenegan Le Bourhis. 

“Deploying such a high and capable unit is quite a commitment from the French Navy and this commitment will be valued by friends strengthening our bonds with our partners in the region among which the Philippine Navy,” he added. —Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA Integrated News