August 2, 2023 (Quezon City) – Secretary of National Defense (SND) Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr., met with H.E. Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino, Ambassador of Malaysia to the Philippines, during the Ambassador’s courtesy call at the DND.

As fellow ASEAN Member States, the two officials welcomed the close defense relations between the Philippines and Malaysia, as implemented under the 1994 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Defense Cooperation, and reflected by personal ties between the two heads of state, marked by their reciprocal visits to the Philippines and Malaysia in March and July 2023, respectively. Both officials likewise reaffirmed commitment in sustaining cooperation under trilateral and multilateral platforms.

Secretary Teodoro took this opportunity to express appreciation for Malaysia’s contributions to the Mindanao peace process, particularly as the Third-Party Facilitator, and for sending military personnel from the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) to the International Monitoring Team (IMT). Aside from soliciting support from Malaysia for the development of the halal industry and Islamic banking for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Secretary Teodoro enjoined Malaysia’s assistance in capacitating the local government units (LGUs) as well as the normalization process through the decommissioning of ammunition, land strengthening of Islamic literacy for Filipino Ulama (Muslim scholars/clerics).

Stressing the impact of Malaysia on Islamic education, Secretary Teodoro proposed to boost educational cooperation between the two countries in enhancing the Arabic and Islamic literacy of the AFP Chaplain Service with the Military Religious Corps of Malaysia to prevent possible radicalization and misinterpretation of the Qur’an and hadith.

Ambassador Castelino assured Malaysia’s continuous support for just and lasting peace in Mindanao and welcomed the proposal to improve Islamic literacy in the Philippines as a way to counter regional terrorism and violent extremism.