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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PH, US top Defense officials renew commitment of strong alliance in phone call meeting

PH, US top Defense officials renew commitment of strong alliance in phone call meeting

Published Feb 23, 2023 08:22 am
The Department of National Defense (DND) has expressed gratitude to the United States for its commitment of support amid the laser-pointing incident on Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship in the West Philippine Sea. DND officer-in-charge Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. personally relayed the message to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III held a phone call meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 22. (photo: DND)  In a statement, the DND said the phone call marked the second bilateral engagement between the two defense officials since Galvez’s appointment OIC, DND in January  this year and Austin’s visit to the Philippines on Feb. 2. For his part, Austin reiterated that the US’ commitment to the alliance between the Philippines and the United States. “An armed attack on Philippine armed forces, aircraft, and public vessels, including the Coast Guard, anywhere in the South China Sea (SCS), would invoke US mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT),” Austin said as released by the DND. Galvez, on the other hand, committed to uphold the DND’s mandate of protecting the country’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and sovereign rights.  “Both sides exchanged views and updates on recent security developments, and explored opportunities to work together in addressing common security challenges,” the DND statement read. “Senior Undersecretary Galvez and Secretary Austin also agreed to expand cooperation with like-minded partners in the region, and emphasized the importance of keeping the Philippines-US alliance strong in order to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” it added.
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