(Eagle News) — Eight memoranda of understanding (MOUs) were signed during the visit of Singaporean President Halimah Yacob to the country which were described as the first steps toward the “next half-century of our natural, mutually reinforcing and beneficial partnership.”
President Yacob, the eighth president of Singapore, arrived in the country Sunday for a five-day state visit.
The Singaporean leader arrived at 3:20 p.m. in Malacañang and was accorded arrival honors. After the welcome rites, the visiting Singaporean president was ushered to the President’s Hall for the traditional signing of the Palace guestbook.
“I thank President Duterte and the people of the Philippines for welcoming me and my delegation so warmly. May the close ties between Singapore and the Philippines continue to flourish in the years ahead and bring mutual benefit to our peoples,” she wrote.
The MOUs signed on Monday were:
· Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Department of Education and Temasek Foundation International and Nanyang Polytechnic International Programme on Innovations and Teaching and Learning of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) with Design Thinking
This Memorandum of Understanding provides for long-term collaboration, cooperation, and capability development of DepEd officials and the principles of teachers of DepEd high schools in STEM education;
· MOU between the Department of Agriculture and Enterprise Singapore on Agricultural Cooperation and Related Activities;
· MOU between Department of Trade and Industry of the Republic of the Philippines, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority of the Republic of the Philippines, and Skills Future Singapore Agency of the Republic of Singapore on cooperation on human capital development and rescaling and skills upgrading of workforce;
· MOU between the Development Bank of the Philippines and Infrastructure Asia Singapore on knowledge sharing to support infrastructure development;
· MOU between Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and Public Utilities Board;
· MOU between the National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Republic of the Philippines and Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth of the Republic of Singapore on Cultural Cooperation;
· MOU between Infrastructure Asia and Public-Private Partnership Center on assisting Philippine local implementing agencies with the development or implementation of PPP projects;
· MOU between the National Privacy Commission of the Republic of the Philippines and The Personal Data Protection Commission of the Republic of Singapore on Cooperation in Personal Data Protection.
