Cayetano pays tribute to US Senator McCain

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano has paid tribute to US Sen. John McCain for championing the continuing security engagement of the US in the Philippines and Asia-Pacific.

Cayetano, who called on the Republican legislator in Washington on Monday, said McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee, “is not just a good friend and champion of the Philippines” but “his family also has true affinity and history with the Philippines.”

“We thank him for taking time off his busy schedule to discuss how we could further strengthen our bilateral relations,” Cayetano said.

He said the meeting with McCain was a good opportunity to update the US senator on what the Philippine government has been doing and what more the two countries can do together to address nontraditional security concerns, such as drug trafficking and violent extremism.

During the meeting, Cayetano emphasized to McCain the Philippine government’s steadfast commitment to uphold human rights while at the same time fighting the scourge of illegal drugs and violent extremism.

The secretary also expressed appreciation for the US government’s humanitarian assistance and support for rehabilitation projects in Marawi City, which has been the center of fighting between the Philippine armed forces and Islamic State-inspired Maute group since May.

Cayetano invited McCain to again visit the Philippines after the lawmaker shared his family’s connection to the country.

McCain’s grandfather served in the Philippines during the American occupation and the Second World War while his father, also a Navy admiral who served in the Philippines, was a recipient of the Philippine Legion of Honor.

McCain told Cayetano he himself spent time in Subic as a young Navy aviator serving in Vietnam and was processed at Clark Air Base upon his release from Vietnam as a prisoner of war.