Babe Romualdez: PH-US defense cooperation not directed vs. any country

The Philippines has no plan to go against any country when it beefed up its defense cooperation with the United States, Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said on Friday.

Romualdez made the remark after the Chinese embassy said it hoped the Philippines would not allow itself to be taken advantage of and be dragged into "trouble waters.

China released the statement after the Philippines announced that there were four new military sites in the country which US forces may access under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

“Every country has its interpretation. To us, we are only doing what is rightfully our right to defend ourselves. None of these moves are being directed to any country. We all know defense capabilities are very important especially nowadays to the changing world,” Romualdez said on CNN Philippines.

“We want to be able to protect ourselves, that is the only reason why we are doing this. There is no plan to go against any country,” he said.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in a joint press conference with Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the two sides affirmed their commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty.

According to Austin, these actions are important as “China continues to advance their illegitimate claims in the West Philippines Sea.”

A Chinese embassy spokesman said Austin “smeared” China on the issue of the South China Sea “to advance the anti-China political agenda of the US.”

The embassy said China held that the “defense and security cooperation” between countries should be conducive to regional peace and stability.

Austin arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday night. He paid a courtesy call on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. together with other officials on Thursday.

Romualdez said it was part of the country’s defense strategy to be an of the US to make sure that “we will continue to be able to defend ourselves if and when the time comes.”

He said that it is “natural” for the Philippines to work with the US to defend the country’s maritime territory in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“I think it's only natural for us to work with them and all of this geared towards defending ourselves in any area of WPS, we just want to make sure that our territorial waters are secure and as the President said what is 'ours is ours' and if there are other claims in the area then we will have either discuss with them but protect especially our fishermen,” Romualdez said.

"We would like to work with like-minded countries that they will be able to do what they are doing which is to protect our territorial waters and fishermen to do their livelihood,” he added.

Romualdez said that Marcos did not have any issue with China.

“We have been telling our Chinese friends that we don’t want trouble as the President clearly said we don’t have any issue with China,"Romualdez said.

"The issue is that they are claiming part of our territory which is exactly what it is so what we are going to do we simply cannot say that whatever you claim is yours that is number one against the constitution,” he added.

“The President of the Republic of the Philippines is mandated to protect the territorial integrity of the Philippines and that is what he exactly doing and also we have been doing this not only president Marcos but all presidents have done what they could to protect the territorial integrity of our country,” Romualdez said. —NB, GMA Integrated News