2+2 Ministerial Dialogue ng Pilipinas at U.S., isinagawa
2+2 Ministerial Dialogue ng Pilipinas at U.S., isinagawa
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00America's continued efforts to modernize the use of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the AFP.
00:06The U.S. has already promised to give $500 million in military financing to the Philippines.
00:12Patrick De Jesus reports, Rise and Shine, Patrick.
00:19For the first time, the country held the 4th 2 plus 2 ministerial dialogue between the Philippines and America
00:28to discuss the economic and defense cooperation of the two countries.
00:33It was led by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin,
00:40while in the Philippines, it was led by the Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo
00:45and Department of National Defense Secretary Guillaume Teodoro.
00:49One of the fruits of the cooperation is America's promise of $500 million or P29 billion
00:57in military financing for the Philippines.
01:01It will be used for the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard
01:08due to the upcoming challenges of the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea and other parts of the region.
01:14Both of us share concerns, and many other countries in the region share concerns as well,
01:20about some of the actions that the People's Republic of China has taken, escalatory actions
01:25in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and elsewhere.
01:28And this is something that we heard much about from our colleagues at the recent ASEAN meetings.
01:32We're working with the U.S. Congress to allocate $500 million in foreign military financing to the Philippines.
01:41This level of funding is unprecedented, and it sends a clear message of support for the Philippines
01:48from the Biden-Harris administration, the U.S. Congress, and the American people.
01:54The U.S. will also provide additional $128 million in investment for EDCA sites.
02:02According to Defense Secretary Guillaume Teodoro,
02:05aside from improving the defense posture of the country,
02:08it will also help in humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
02:13They can be venues for joint cooperation and interoperability between the United States
02:19and the Philippines and multilaterally with like-minded nations.
02:25And likewise, they will serve also as venues for economic development,
02:30like Secretary Austin has said, with the USAID.
02:34So these are not monodimensional, but multidimensional investments.
02:38Officials have also assured that the upcoming elections in the United States
02:45will not affect the strong bilateral relations.
02:48Elections are a regular feature of our democracy.
02:51What's also a regular feature is a strong, long-standing alliance between our countries.
02:57And that doesn't change from election to election.
03:00We have a mutual defense treaty that the United States is committed to.
03:04That commitment will endure, again, irrespective of administrations.
03:09The Philippine-U.S. alliance and friendship has withstood the test of time.
03:15We've officially been partners for seven decades, but it even goes beyond that.
03:21And in all those years, our relationship has held firmly,
03:25and in fact, has only grown more productive.
03:29And in fact, now we can even say our relationship is at a high point.
03:34I do not see any partisan political detraction from our positions
03:42because they are based on principle.
03:44Meanwhile, it is appropriate to give US$1 million of assistance to America
03:49for those affected by Hurricane Karina and tsunami in the country.
03:53Patrick de Azuz for Pambansan TV in Bagong, Philippines.