Philippines and Singapore broaden defense ties with a new agreement

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines is signing a defense pact with Singapore that will allow their militaries to broaden their engagement, including holding joint exercises to prepare for humanitarian emergencies and other contingencies. Two Philippine officials say Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro will sign the Defense Cooperation Agreement with his counterpart in Singapore on Wednesday. Details of the agreement were not immediately available. Since territorial hostilities between China and the Philippines surged last year at two hotly disputed shoals in the South China Sea, the Philippine government has taken steps to forge new security alliances with a number of Asian and Western countries and allowed a U.S. military presence at more Philippine bases under a 2014 defense pact.