THE conduct of trilateral air patrol operations among the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia was aimed to bolster efforts to counter terrorism in the region, Malacañang said on Saturday, October 14.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the trilateral air patrols over the troubled waters of the Sulu Sea, which was launched on Thursday, October 12, would help combat the alarming threats posed by extremists.
“The fight against terrorism in the region continues to get a boost,” Abella said in a statement.
“The coordinated joint air patrols between the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia were launched in Malaysia to better counter the movement of terrorist groups and to strengthen the security of our three nations and that of the region,” he added.
The start of the trilateral air patrols came after the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia launched joint maritime patrols off the Sulu Sea in June to thwart the Islamic State (IS)-linked Maute terror group holed up in strife-torn Marawi City from fleeing to neighboring countries.
On May 23, the Maute rebels laid siege to Marawi City in an attempt to establish a territory for IS’ Southeast Asia group in the southern Philippines.
The ceremony launching the air patrol operations was attended by the defense ministers of all three nations at Malaysia’s Subang Air Base.
Abella said the trilateral air patrols would improve the Philippines’ counter-terrorism measures, amid the security forces’ battle against the extremists.
“By sharing information and exhanging best practices, we hope to improve the interoperability of our forces and help better secure areas of common maritime interest,” he said. (VoxPop Philippines)
