Department of National Defense (DND) Sec. Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr. is hoping that the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between the Philippines and Japan will be signed by both countries "as soon as possible" amid security challenges in the South China Sea.

This, as Teodoro confirmed that a Philippine delegation led by DND Undersecretary for Strategic Assessments and International Affairs Pablo Lorenzo already left for Tokyo on Monday, Nov. 27, to start the formal round of negotiations with their Japanese counterparts and establish the framework of the visiting forces deal.

"Our formal negotiating team has left this morning led by Undersecretary Pablo Lorenzo has left this morning to start the formal round of negotiations with Japan," Teodoro said.

Asked if he expects the RAA to be completed by year-end, Teodoro responded: "I can't say but as soon as possible."

"I encourage them to thresh out all issues as soon as possible and of course to already network with the Senate of the Philippines so that we can have a speedy ratification of the same. Of course, we have to respect the independence of the Senate and their wishes," the defense chief explained.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced during his working visit in Manila earlier this month that the Philippines and Japan have started negotiating on the RAA, a deal likened to the PH-United States Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

The RAA will facilitate the procedures and set guidelines when Philippine forces visit Japan for training and joint exercises, and vice versa.

Once the Philippines and Japan agree on the draft of the RAA, it will be submitted to the Philippine Senate and the National Diet, Japan's national legislature, for ratification.

If completed, the Philippines will become the first ASEAN country to establish a visiting forces agreement with Japan, a crucial move as both Asian countries try to bolster their cooperation to protect their stakes in the East and South China Seas.

Code of conduct with Malaysia, Vietnam

Meanwhile, Teodoro expressed support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s endeavor to establish the Philippines' own code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea with Malaysia and Vietnam.

Marcos had said that the government was pursuing the establishment of a COC with its ASEAN neighbors such as Malaysia and Vietnam as talks with China undergo a "slow" progress.

"I have been informed about it and of course, we encourage it because it's a way of ASEAN nations to work with each other," Teodoro said, referring to the association of nations belonging to Southeast Asia.

The Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam have their respective claims in the South China Sea which overlap with China's.

However, a report from United States think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies-Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (CSIC-AMTI) said Vietnam has ramped up its dredging and landfill work in the Spratly Islands since 2021.

According to the report released by CSIS-AMTI on Nov. 15, Vietnam has created another 330 acres of land in the Spratly Islands, bringing its total during the current spate of building to 750 acres.

"By contrast, Vietnam had created just 120 acres of land in the Spratlys between 2012 and 2022. This all adds up to about a quarter of the more than 3,200 acres of land created by China from 2013 to 2016, but it is far more island expansion than any other claimant besides China has undertaken. And in October 2023, Vietnam began new dredging at two additional outposts," the think tank said.

Teodoro did not give a reaction to the report as he said he will have to read it first.