US ready to assist PH
Washington understands Manila’s security concerns, envoy assures Duterte
The mutual defense alliance of the Philippines (PH) and the United States (US) remains strong, notwithstanding the occasional antiAmerican rhetoric of President Duterte. The President affirmed the country’s “strong” relations with the United States during a meeting with US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Y. Kim last Monday in Davao City.
In that meeting, Ambassador Kim assured President Duterte that the United States is ready to provide additional military assistance to the Philippines to effectively deal with security problems, citing the continued robust relations between the two long-time allies.
“They discussed the extensive bilateral partnership over the years as well as cooperation on counterterrorism, child protection, piracy, and economic development in Mindanao,” the US embassy said in a press statement. “The Ambassador highlighted US-Philippine partnerships in the region
that strengthen the local economy and promote peace and stability.”
“On H.E. Sung Kim part, he is quite proud of the cooperation between US and PH intelligence forces in terms of intelligence and information sharing, training, and equipment support,” Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said.
“Sung Kim also assured PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) that the US understands the security concerns of the Philippines and that the US is ready to provide more military equipment, assistance and training,” he added.
“The President said that PH-US relations at the bilateral level remain strong and there is readiness to discuss more matters of mutual interest with the US,” Abella said.
“They agreed that PH and the US have mutual interests and shared values. Both stressed that these fruitful engagements and discussions are very important in ensuring that both states are on the same page,” he added.
The President’s meeting with the American ambassador came a few days after he scored the US for its inaction in dealing with the territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
Duterte said the US had a chance to prevent the South China Sea dispute from escalating but did nothing to stop China’s reclamation works a few years ago.
“Why did you not go there? Why did you not reprimand them? Why did you not send five aircraft carriers? And you had to wait for the problem to ripen into an international issue involving this time so many countries,” Duterte asked the US earlier.
“You could have cut the problem in the bud had you not taken indecisive action,” he added.
PH-US economic ties
The US embassy said that apart from the “friendly, productive meeting with President Duterte, Ambassador Kim also gave remarks at a luncheon meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce Mindanao, conveying the US government’s wholehearted support for the vibrant US-Philippine economic relationship, and emphasizing the embassy’s commitment to development in Mindanao.
Honoring Women’s History Month, Ambassador Kim highlighted the embassy’s US Agency for International Development funding of a project that trains women to weave nets that stop erosion and landslides along roadways in Ramon Magsaysay, Zamboanga del Sur.
The US embassy said that the overall, the American government has pledged more than P3.5 billion for dozens of projects in Mindanao over the next few years, including the Roll-on, Roll-off (RO-RO), nautical highway.
On April 30, the route will connect the cities of Davao and General Santos to Bitung in the Sulawesi Island of Indonesia. The US embassy said this accomplishment will help US and Philippine businesses operating in Mindanao increase their exports at great savings. (With a report from Roy C. Mabasa)