17/07/2026
Second Security Lounge for 2026 tackles VFAs, defense convergence
The National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) hosted the second installment of its Security Lounge for National Security Administrators on 16 July 2026 at the NDCP Honor Hall, Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, under the theme, "Defense Convergence for a Stable Indo-Pacific Region.”
The conference looked into ways to deepen understanding of the Philippines' growing defense partnership with Canada amid the region's evolving security environment. Discussions also covered the Philippines' broader engagements in the Indo-Pacific through defense cooperation agreements, military exchanges, and maritime security activities with like-minded states.
Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman delivered a presentation on visiting forces agreements and the significance of defense convergence in safeguarding the rules-based international order. USec Antonio Habulan Jr, Executive Director of the Presidential Commission on Visiting Forces, and MGen Rommel R Cordova PA, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, served as reactors, further enriching the discussion. Also present to share their insights and respond to participants' queries were USec for Defense Affairs Angelito M De Leon of the Department of National Defense and Assistant Director General Cornelio H Valencia Jr of the National Security Council.
In his opening remarks, Mr Clarence Anthony P Dugenia, MNSA, Acting Director of the Philippine Center of Excellence in Defense, Development, and Security, noted that the Indo-Pacific continues to face an increasingly complex security environment. According to him, it serves as a timely reminder that no single nation can safeguard regional peace and stability alone.
Meanwhile, Director Christine June P Cariño, MNSA, President of the NDCP, drew on the Philippines' own experience, observing that strategic partnerships—paired with diplomacy, transparency, and capability development—are what transform legal principles rooted in the international rules-based order into real deterrence and lasting regional stability in the Indo-Pacific.
To learn more about the College’s extension service programs, visit ndcp.edu.ph.