MANILA, Philippines – Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. on Tuesday, July 16, said the Philippine-United States alliance “remains a cornerstone” of Philippine national security, as he met with United States Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Q. Brown Jr. at Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday, July 16.
Manila is Brown’s first stop in a week-long visit to the Indo-Pacific area.
While in the Philippines, he will visit one of the sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), or where the US may preposition assets, as mutually agreed by the two treaty-allies.
“Our alliance with the United States remains a cornerstone of our national security. Through continued collaboration and mutual support, we fortify our defense capabilities and ensure the stability of our region,” said Brawner, according to an AFP release.
Brown’s last visit to the Philippines was in 1987 or just after the revolution that ousted the current president’s father and namesake, the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos.
Bilateral ties between the Philippines and its former colonizer, the US, have certainly changed.
Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., bilateral ties with the Philippines’ only treaty-ally are on “hyperdrive,” as Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo put it.
In a release to media, the AFP said Brawner and Brown’s meeting “underscored their commitment to Philippine-United States’ longstanding military alliance.
“Discussions focused on enhancing bilateral defense cooperation, strengthening joint military exercises, and addressing regional security challenges,” said the AFP.
Without going into detail, the AFP said the two “also discussed future initiatives to bolster defense relations and foster greater interoperability between the AFP and US military units.”
According to the US Department of Defense, Brown will also visit Japan, with whom the Philippines just signed a bilateral military access agreement.
Aside from EDCA, the US and the Philippines are bound by the Mutual Defense Treaty, which means one country should come to the defense of the other in case of an attack. The Philippines and the US also have a Visiting Forces Agreement in place. Its biggest joint military exercise is the annual Balikatan.
“In the Philippines, we have a long-standing, shared interest in regional stability that’s backed by international law,” said Brown ahead of arriving in Manila, according to a US defense department release.
The US is a key partner of the Philippines, as it becomes assertive in claiming its sovereign rights and sovereignty claims in the West Philippine Sea – part of the South China Sea that’s within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Despite a 2016 Arbitral Award that affirmed the Philippines’ EEZ, China claims most of the South China Sea as its own, routinely driving away Philippine missions at flashpoints on those waters.
The US has repeatedly affirmed its “ironclad commitment” to the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty, but Manila has said that it is not keen on asking for foreign help, particularly in precarious resupply of the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. – Rappler.com