PHL, US diplomats set March meeting of top defense and foreign affairs officials
Senior diplomats of the Philippines and the United States concluded their “strategic dialogue” in Washington DC on Saturday (Manila time) and said the next step will be “high-level consultation at a joint ministerial meeting” of their respective Secretaries of defense and foreign affairs in March.
“We agreed to deepen and broaden our maritime security cooperation,” their joint statement said.
“We reinforced the significance of our Mutual Defense Treaty as the basis for the alliance and the treaty’s continued relevance to the peace, security, and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific,” the statement added.
In Manila, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in another statement that the US “offered to help us.”
In addition to diplomatic efforts, del Rosario said “we must at the very least also endeavor to achieve a minimum credible defense posture.”
“Beyond responding to some of our needs in terms of military equipment and training, to compensate for our lack of resources, we would want to additionally explore other means of acceptable assistance and cooperation from the US such as, for instance, planning more joint exercises to promote interoperability and a rotating and more frequent presence by them,” del Rosario explained.
Wide range of concerns
Co-charing the dialogue in the US capital were Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Lavoy for the United States and Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Erlinda Basilio and Undersecretary of National Defense Pio Lorenzo Batino for the Republic of the Philippines.
The senior officials’ meeting also had a working group on Rule of Law and Law Enforcement chaired by Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan.
The joint statement revealed that prior to the March meeting of US Secretary of State Rodham Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario, and Philippines Secretary of National Defense Voltaire Gazmin, there will be in February a Manila visit by US Assistant Secretary of State for Political and Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro.
Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis will also come to Manila in late February to discuss economic issues and the interest of the Philippines in potentially joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Defense matters were not the only items on the agenda of the “second Bilateral Strategic Dialogue” in Washington DC.
“We reviewed our ongoing collaboration in the Partnership for Growth and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. We recognized the efforts being taken by the Philippine government in resolving human rights cases and discussed positive developments in the prosecution of abuses. We emphasized a mutual commitment to these efforts,” the joint statement said.
Protest in Manila
Philippine activists picketed the US embassy on Saturday and burned a cardboard American flag and mock stealth bomber, vowing to launch a campaign opposing a plan to allow more US troops in the country.
About 50 members of the leftist New Nationalist Alliance (Bayan) also held a huge effigy of Uncle Sam with another of Philippine President Benigno Aquino labelled as his "dog", as riot police prevented them approaching the mission.
"If we allow more US troops to enter our country, the entire archipelago will be transformed into one military outpost for US hegemonic interests," Bayan said in a statement distributed at the rally.
Philippine officials have welcomed plans for a greater presence from the military of its former colonial ruler, seeing it as a counterbalance to recent Chinese aggressiveness in the South China Sea.
China and the Philippines have territorial disputes over the South China Sea and Manila has accused Beijing of using intimidation to press its claims.
The Philippines previously hosted huge US military bases until the Philippine Senate, stirred by nationalist opposition of groups like Bayan, voted to close them down in 1992.
US and Philippine officials say they are not interested in new US bases but merely in more joint exercises and more US troops rotating through the country.
While Filipinos are largely pro-American, small but vocal groups in the media and influential Roman Catholic church are fervently opposed to a US presence.
International affairs specialist Rene de Castro said the Philippine government would have to carefully explain its decision to overcome such anti-American sentiment.
Two US Navy ships coming
As these events developed, the US Embassy in Manila disclosed that two US Navy ships will visit the Philippines “for routine port calls” this weekend. The USS Wayne E. Meyer, a guided missile destroyer will arrive in Manila Bay while the USS Chafee (DDG-90), also a guided missile destroyer, will dock at the port of Cebu.
“USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Chafee are here to engage with their counterparts in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and perform Community Relations Projects, as well as allowing the crew an opportunity for rest and relaxation,” the embassy said. — with a report from Agence France Presse/ELR, GMA News
“We agreed to deepen and broaden our maritime security cooperation,” their joint statement said.
“We reinforced the significance of our Mutual Defense Treaty as the basis for the alliance and the treaty’s continued relevance to the peace, security, and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific,” the statement added.
In Manila, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in another statement that the US “offered to help us.”
In addition to diplomatic efforts, del Rosario said “we must at the very least also endeavor to achieve a minimum credible defense posture.”
“Beyond responding to some of our needs in terms of military equipment and training, to compensate for our lack of resources, we would want to additionally explore other means of acceptable assistance and cooperation from the US such as, for instance, planning more joint exercises to promote interoperability and a rotating and more frequent presence by them,” del Rosario explained.
Wide range of concerns
Co-charing the dialogue in the US capital were Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Lavoy for the United States and Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Erlinda Basilio and Undersecretary of National Defense Pio Lorenzo Batino for the Republic of the Philippines.
The senior officials’ meeting also had a working group on Rule of Law and Law Enforcement chaired by Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan.
The joint statement revealed that prior to the March meeting of US Secretary of State Rodham Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario, and Philippines Secretary of National Defense Voltaire Gazmin, there will be in February a Manila visit by US Assistant Secretary of State for Political and Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro.
Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis will also come to Manila in late February to discuss economic issues and the interest of the Philippines in potentially joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Defense matters were not the only items on the agenda of the “second Bilateral Strategic Dialogue” in Washington DC.
“We reviewed our ongoing collaboration in the Partnership for Growth and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. We recognized the efforts being taken by the Philippine government in resolving human rights cases and discussed positive developments in the prosecution of abuses. We emphasized a mutual commitment to these efforts,” the joint statement said.
Protest in Manila
Philippine activists picketed the US embassy on Saturday and burned a cardboard American flag and mock stealth bomber, vowing to launch a campaign opposing a plan to allow more US troops in the country.
About 50 members of the leftist New Nationalist Alliance (Bayan) also held a huge effigy of Uncle Sam with another of Philippine President Benigno Aquino labelled as his "dog", as riot police prevented them approaching the mission.
"If we allow more US troops to enter our country, the entire archipelago will be transformed into one military outpost for US hegemonic interests," Bayan said in a statement distributed at the rally.
Philippine officials have welcomed plans for a greater presence from the military of its former colonial ruler, seeing it as a counterbalance to recent Chinese aggressiveness in the South China Sea.
China and the Philippines have territorial disputes over the South China Sea and Manila has accused Beijing of using intimidation to press its claims.
The Philippines previously hosted huge US military bases until the Philippine Senate, stirred by nationalist opposition of groups like Bayan, voted to close them down in 1992.
US and Philippine officials say they are not interested in new US bases but merely in more joint exercises and more US troops rotating through the country.
While Filipinos are largely pro-American, small but vocal groups in the media and influential Roman Catholic church are fervently opposed to a US presence.
International affairs specialist Rene de Castro said the Philippine government would have to carefully explain its decision to overcome such anti-American sentiment.
Two US Navy ships coming
As these events developed, the US Embassy in Manila disclosed that two US Navy ships will visit the Philippines “for routine port calls” this weekend. The USS Wayne E. Meyer, a guided missile destroyer will arrive in Manila Bay while the USS Chafee (DDG-90), also a guided missile destroyer, will dock at the port of Cebu.
“USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Chafee are here to engage with their counterparts in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and perform Community Relations Projects, as well as allowing the crew an opportunity for rest and relaxation,” the embassy said. — with a report from Agence France Presse/ELR, GMA News
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