The Department of National Defense on Monday began hosting the 23rd Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines Joint Working Group meeting on the three countries' Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement.

The TCA, which was held at a hotel in Makati City, aims to build on previous discussions on the implementation of the 2016 TCA.

DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said the meeting aims to address security issues in the maritime areas of common concern to the three countries.

During the meeting, the countries highlighted that "no kidnap-for-ransom activities" were reported in their area of maritime interest as of November this year.

Further, it was emphasized that there has been a significant decline in kidnapping incidents since the TCA was put in place.

Andolong said the three delegations underscored that maintaining connectivity among command centers was critical in maintaining the safety and security of the AMI.