The Philippines and Chile signed two agreements during Chilean President Michelle Bachelet's state visit at the Malacañang Palace in Manila on Monday, Nov. 16 as part of this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.

According to CNN Philippines, the first agreement is the letter of intent on a joint study for free trade agreement between the two nations. This was signed by Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo and Chile Foreign Affairs Minister Heraldo Muñoz.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Muñoz signed the second agreement, which is a Memorandum of Understanding on disaster risk reduction, CNN Philippines further reported. The memorandum holds significance over Chile and the Philippines, given that natural disasters frequently occur in them. On average, 20 typhoons strike the Philippines annually while Chile often experience earthquakes.

Aside from these agreements, Bachelet and her Filipino counterpart, Benigno Aquino III, discussed trade and investment, tourism, education, mining, agriculture, and geothermal energy, the news outlet listed. The two leaders' joint news conference acknowledged that relations between Chile and the Philippines have large room for growth.

Aquino said that Bachelet's visit marks "an important chapter in the deepening of our countries' relations" that has persevered for almost 70 years and "has increasingly become close since the 1990s," BusinessWorld reported.

"Beyond this bond of history, Chile and the Philippines share unique experiences, one of which is the fact that both our peoples struggled to reclaim the freedom of our nations, and consequently, found themselves among the ranks of newly restored democracies," he said, as quoted by BusinessWorld.

Aquino added that he found "a kindred spirit" in Bachelet, who was among the numerous detained and tortured Chileans during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship in the 1970s.

"As individuals who had to endure hardship and exile under our countries' dictatorial regimes, you and I know full well the terror that tyranny brings. And by regaining our liberties, our function has been to make democracy inclusive for everyone. It is my belief that, if we fail to do so, there might be that temptation for some quarters to return to some form of authoritarianism," Aquino explained, as quoted by the news outlet.

Aquino also noted that Filipinos can travel to Chile to teach English, and urged the trade department to continue discussion with its counterpart in Chile to develop a framework for energy next year, CNN Philippines wrote.

Bachelet said that they have witnessed the continuous growth of the two countries' economic ties, as well as the influx of Filipino investment in Chile. She added that she sees her nation as a "bridge country" that consistently strives for better relations with Latin America and Asia, BusinessWorld reported.