French Navy destroyer in Manila port call

‘POWERFUL SHIP’ The Bretagne docks at Manila’s South Harbor on May 31. The multipurpose frigate is on a five-day stopover until Tuesday. —Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines — French Navy destroyer Bretagne (D655) is in the Philippines as the two countries seek to deepen security ties and perhaps even sign a defense pact that will allow them to send military forces to each other’s territory for joint exercises.

The five-day stopover, which started on Friday and ends on Tuesday, came just weeks after France sent one of its frigates, the Vendémiaire, to take part for the first time in the largest annual exercise yet between the Philippines and the United States, held from April 22 to May 10.

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“It’s quite a powerful ship that you are on today, and the idea there is really to show the commitment of the French Army and the French Navy in this region,” Capt. Gwenegan le Bourhis, commander of the French Navy’s Bretagne, told reporters when it docked at South Harbor last Friday.

The 6,000-ton Aquitaine-class frigate is operated by 150 personnel and is capable of operating in “all the spectrum of maritime operations,” according to Le Bourhis.

The Philippine and French Navies will hold a small exercise at sea after the French Navy destroyer leaves the port in Manila.

‘Political will’

French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontanel said the port call was an offshoot of the agreement between the Philippines and France in December to boost bilateral defense cooperation.

“In this year, 2024, we had and we will have many occasions to confirm the will, the political will of the minister of Armed Forces,” she said.

The Philippines and France recently held the fourth iteration of their Joint Defense Cooperation Committee in Paris from May 21 to May 22 to build up their defense cooperation in the field of strategic affairs, military cooperation, logistics and defense industry.

According to the French Embassy in the Philippines, the talks focused on strengthening strategic exchanges, the legal framework for defense relations, military interaction in the naval, air and land sectors, and the defense and armaments industry.