US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will arrive in Manila to meet with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his Filipino counterpart, Carlito Galvez Jr., to advance the Western giant's interest in the Indo-Pacific region.
Speaking in a press conference on Tuesday, Philippine Ambassador to the Philippines Jose Manuel "Babe" Romualdez confirmed Austin's arrival in the country. Part of his itinerary, Romualdez said, is his courtesy call with the President as well as his first-ever meeting with Galvez.
This came after the US official asked to go to the Philippines after his scheduled trip to South Korea, which Romualdez said was "a good idea."
The US Defense Department website said the trip would reaffirm "the deep commitment of the United States to work in concert with allies and partners in support of the shared vision of preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific."
Noting the "evolving military alliance" between the Philippines and the US, Romualdez said the visit "will reinforce" all the military agreements, including the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), between the two countries.
"I don't think there'll be any other dramatic thing ," Romualdez said.
According to various sources, Austin will be in Manila on Feb. 2.
Austin's arrival in the country, which came at the heels of China's activities on the South China Sea, would be most welcome by the President. Romualdez attributed this to Marcos' pronouncement of not taking for granted the country's allies.
"In fact, in the ASEAN region, obviously, it's very clear that the United States, again, gives a lot of importance to the ASEAN centrality," Romualdez said, so Austin's visit is important to be "nurtured."
Recently, concerns on Chinese activities on the South China Sea and on the West Philippine Sea were raised by the Philippine government after their harassment not only of Filipino fishers but also of the Philippine Coast Guard.