TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Given the geographical closeness between Taiwan and the Philippines security cooperation is extremely important, former Philippines Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana said Thursday.

He was speaking at a Taiwan National Day reception hosted by the Taiwan office in Manila, per CNA. After serving as defense minister under President Rodrigo Duterte from 2016 to 2022, he also chaired the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, which manages the transformation of military bases into urban communities.

Anything that happens in Taiwan will have an impact on the Philippines, and vice versa, Lorenzana said. He called for deeper cooperation with Taiwan and more business investment in his country. He added there should be more migrant workers from the Philippines seeking jobs in Taiwan.

Both Indo-Pacific nations need to cooperate in fields ranging from trade to technology exchanges, he said. Government and military leaders in the Philippines have repeatedly expressed concern about the impact of military action against Taiwan on their country, based on their proximity and the presence of workers from the Philippines in Taiwan.

Manila has recently taken measures to reinforce its presence on its northernmost islands close to the Bashi Channel separating it from Taiwan. The moves strengthen its monitoring of the freedom of navigation in the passage often used by China to send ships beyond Taiwan into the Pacific.