Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo described as “rock solid” the alliance between the United States and the Philippines after the visit of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III this week led to the announcement of an expanded base access to allow Washington more presence here.
“I had a very good first meeting with @SecDef Austin. There’s no doubt—PH-US Alliance is rock solid,” the Philippine official wrote on Twitter.
“We identified key initiatives to improve mutual understanding of our priorities & challenges and to strengthen our relationship in ways that would secure our peoples @DFAPHL,” he added.
This was retweeted by United States Ambassador to Manila MaryKay Carlson, who also thanked the Philippines for Austin’s successful visit.
“As we bid farewell to @SecDef Austin, we extend our sincere thanks to all of our (Philippine) FriendsPartnersAllies who made the visit a great success. Mabuhay!,” she wrote on Twitter.
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Another retweet by Carlson also showed Austin’s appreciation of his visit to Manila, where he met with Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez.
“My sincere thanks to (Philippine) President @bongbongmarcos for hosting me in the Philippines. The US remains determined to support regional peace & prosperity in the #IndoPacific. We deeply value our ironclad alliance & working shoulder-to-shoulder with such an indispensable ally & friend,” the US official wrote.
He also called the US’ commitment to the security of the Philippines, Washington’s oldest treaty ally in Asia, as “iron clad.”
The high-ranking US official’s visit came after several high-level meetings between the United States and the Philippines, including the visit of US Vice President Kamala Harris and engagements between President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and US President Joe Biden.
The relationship between Manila and Washington soured during the Duterte administration because of Marcos’ predecessor’s friendly stance with China, which had been threatening peace, security, and freedom of navigation in the trade-critical waters of the West Philippine Sea.
The latest engagements between the two countries are aimed at restarting joint maritime patrols of the hotly contested region and address Chinese aggression there.