ManilaTimes-May 4
The United States reaffirmed its commitment to being the “big brother” of the Philippines, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Jr. saying his government will live up to the meaning of “balikatan“, or working shoulder to shoulder, towards a further enhanced alliance. Austin gave the guarantee during his meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Pentagon on Wednesday morning (local time) where the American official said the US will always be reminded “of the enduring strength of our alliance and our shared commitment to advancing it even further.” “And I said before Mr. President, we’re more than allies, we’re family and we share a common vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific because a region governed by rules and rights help provide security and prosperity for our two countries and for the whole region,” he added. “So, make no mistake Mr. President, we will always have your back in the South China Sea or elsewhere in the region,” Austin asserted. The two leaders discussed plans to swiftly operationalize the four new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in Northern Luzon and Palawan seen to ramp up combined training, exercises, and other cooperative activities – including to support the US and Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) maritime security, maritime domain awareness, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities – to address a range of shared challenges in the Philippines and across the Indo-Pacific. Read more at: https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/05/04/news/us-defense-chief-to-marcos-we-have-your-back/1889891
