US Navy ships conduct archipelagic sea lane passage through San Bernardino Strait

Three US Navy ships conducted an archipelagic sea lane passage through the San Bernardino Strait between the Bicol Peninsula and Samar Island, the US Navy's 7th Fleet said on Tuesday.

In a Facebook post, the 7th Fleet said the three ships were the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), USS Higgins (DDG 76), and USS Antietam (CG 54).

“Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States, and supports alliances, partnerships and collective maritime interests in the Indo-Pacific region,” it said.

Last week, USS Ronald Reagan returned to the South China Sea after a port call in Singapore, deploying in the disputed region as tensions with China rose over a possible visit to Taiwan by congressional leader Nancy Pelosi.

United States Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson on July 22 visited President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. as she vowed the US would continue its partnership with the Philippines.

"We are fellow democracies, bound by a rich shared history. We share the powerful, positive ties of family, embodied in the four million Filipino-Americans in the United States and the 350,000 US citizens in the Philippines," Carlson said.

"Our alliance is a bedrock of our bond, and our Mutual Defense Treaty and other agreements are at the heart of our commitment to help defend the Philippines’ sovereignty and independence," she added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier affirmed that the Biden administration would continue to defend the Philippines against any armed attack in the South China Sea and rejected anew China's massive claim on the resource-rich waters.

Blinken also called on China to stop aggressive and provocative acts in the South China Sea, warning that any attack on the Philippines will trigger a response from the US.

The Philippines and the US have a 70-year-old defense accord, called the Mutual Defense Treaty, that binds America to defend its Asian ally from aggression. — DVM, GMA News