(AseanAll) — The Philippines and Brunei Darussalam convened the 4th Philippines-Brunei Darussalam Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) on 15 December 2025.
The meeting was co-chaired by Undersecretary for Policy Leo M. Herrera-Lim of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines and Permanent Secretary (Politics and International Organisation) Pengiran Norhashimah binti Pengiran Mohd Hassan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brunei Darussalam.
The 4th Philippines-Brunei JCBC took stock of the notable milestones that the two countries have reached since the last JCBC was convened on 15 August 2023 in Manila, among them are signed agreements on various areas of cooperation, conduct of high-level visits, and the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Philippines-Brunei diplomatic ties last year.
The two officials engaged in constructive discussions on increasing collaborations in the fields of defense, trade and investment, agriculture, aquaculture and initiatives towards peace consolidation in Mindanao.
Undersecretary Herrera-Lim and Permanent Secretary Pengiran Norhashimah likewise discussed expanding cooperation in people-to-people ties, particularly in the sectors of education, health, labour, tourism and connectivity, culture and sports, and diplomatic training.
The officials also engaged in an open and candid sharing of perspectives regarding regional and global developments, including the Philippines' Chairship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year.
During the visit to Brunei, Undersecretary Herrera-Lim also paid a courtesy call on Hon. Dato Seri Setia Haji Erywan Bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd Yusof, Second Foreign Minister of Brunei Darussalam. The two officials had an insightful conversation on Philippines-Brunei relations, the upcoming ASEAN Chairship of the Philippines, and various regional concerns.
The JCBC was established in 1999 to facilitate high-level consultation on areas of mutual interests and to strengthen existing friendly relations between the two countries.
