PH eyeing to sign RAA with Japan before 2024 ends –NSC

The National Security Council said Saturday that it is targeting to sign a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with Japan before the end of the year.

“The arrangement with Japan, the RAA, ang target po ng ating bansa is before the end of the year mapirmahan na iyan,” said NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya at the Saturday News Forum.

(Our country’s target is it will be signed before the end of the year.)

Malaya also added that “more countries have expressed interest” about the agreement. However, he said that such agreements take time.

“Remember, there are positions held by the DOJ (Department of Justice); there are DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) issues; ang dami pong mga internal things that have to be arranged and harmonized even before we come to that negotiating table,” Malaya said.

“Pero ang maganda naman po (What is good) about this is that it’s moving at a quick pace, it’s moving at a quick pace,” he added.

Following a trilateral summit with the leaders of the US and Japan in Washington, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday said that the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between the Philippines and Japan is nearing its completion.

“The Prime Minister of Japan and the President of the Philippines has given the instructions to our negotiators to proceed immediately, kaya naman (that’s why) we are confident that before the end of this year that RAA will be signed,” Malaya said.

Marcos assured that the RAA is “not the same” as the Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States when asked about the custody of erring Japanese servicemen on Philippine soil.

The negotiations on the RAA started in November 2023.

Marcos during Kishida’s visit to Malacañang adverted to the benefits of the deal in “maintaining peace and stability in our region.” —VAL, GMA Integrated News