PH-US ties to transcend changes in administration, says Austin

The alliance between the United States and the Philippines will transcend changes in administrations as Donald Trump is about to return to the White House, said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday. 

"This will remain an important country to us for many, many years in the future, and you know the strength of our alliance I think will transcend changes of administration going forward," Austin said in a joint press conference with his Filipino counterpart Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier said that the relationship between Manila and Washington wouldn’t change under Trump’s leadership, noting that the two countries had been long allies. 

Marcos said he looked forward to working with the returning US president on a wide range of issues that "will yield mutual benefits to two nations with deep ties, shared beliefs, common vision, and a long history of working together."

Teodoro said that the alliance of the two countries was built on institutional grounds. 

“Suffice it to state that our alliance is based on institutional grounds, we have built institutions particularly faster in the last two years, with the view towards a robust, ongoing, and enduring alliance,” Teodoro said. 

“For the Filipinos, I think naturally, because the United States is our treaty ally, we would like certainty or clarity in our bilateral relations,” he added. 

South China Sea 

Both the US and the Philippines condemned the aggression by China in the South China Sea. 

“It's the same story over and over again. They have been more aggressive in denying us access to our exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea," Teodoro said.

"They have really placed a lot of these pseudo-military vessels disguised as coast guard vessels and maritime militia vessels in the areas in the West Philippine Sea,” he added.

“Then again, so far as the Philippines is concerned, in partnership with the United States, our main theme of cooperation here, aside from being treaty allies, stands for upholding of international law and the fundamental values of freedom and democracy,” Teodoro said.

Austin said that the US would remain committed to the Mutual Defense Treaty between Manila and Washington. 

“When it comes to what we will do, I won’t speculate or make any hypotheticals when it comes to our Mutual Defense Treaty. What we have emphasized and you've heard me emphasize a couple of minutes ago that we remain committed to the treaty,” Austin said.

“We stand with the Philippines and we condemn dangerous actions by the PRC (People’s Republic of China) against lawful Philippine operations in the South China Sea," he added. 

Signed on August 30, 1951, the MDT binds both countries to come to each other’s aid during an attack.

Under Article V, it is determined that the treaty covers an armed attack on the metropolitan territory of either of the parties, or on the island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific Ocean, or on their armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the Pacific. 

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis." China has not recognized the decision. —NB, GMA Integrated News