US vows continuous support for Philippines vs IS

WASHINGTON – The United States vowed to continue supporting the fight against terrorism in the Philippines and the rehabilitation of Marawi City that was recently liberated by Filipino security forces after being held for nearly five months by pro-Islamic State (IS) terrorists.

Both sides pledged to work together to end North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs and reiterated their commitment to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

In a joint statement, the Philippine and US governments stressed the importance of peacefully resolving disputes in accordance with international law, as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention.

Both vowed to strengthen partnership on key issues during the 7th Bilateral Strategic Dialogue held from Nov. 30 to Dec. 1 in Washington.

Philippine and US senior officials also emphasized the importance of the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms.

“During the dialogue, senior officials discussed a wide variety of issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration in areas including maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, cybersecurity, countering transnational drug trafficking, countering terrorism and improving drug prevention and treatment services, as well as combating wildlife trafficking and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing,” the joint statement read.

The strategic dialogue is a key mechanism for discussing the full range of political, security and economic cooperation between the Philippines and the US.

Both the US and Philippine delegations also reaffirmed their commitment to deepening the extensive economic relationship between the two countries and noted the substantive discussions on cooperating in areas such as science and technology, agriculture and fisheries, and health and environment.        

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for policy Enrique Manalo and Defense Undersecretary Ricardo David led the Philippine delegation, while the US was represented by Susan Thornton, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and David Helvey, the acting assistant secretary of defense for Asia and Pacific.

The next strategic consultation, which follows the bilateral trade and investment discussions on ways to expand free, fair and reciprocal bilateral trade, will be held in Manila on Nov. 29 next year.

It has four working groups that develop action plans for expanding joint partnership on defense and security; economics, development and prosperity; regional and global diplomatic engagement; and rule of law and law enforcement. – Janvic Mateo