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Teodoro says not expecting Trump to demand PH payment for military protection

Teodoro says not expecting Trump to demand PH payment for military protection

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

 | 

Updated Nov 12, 2024 07:25 PM PHT

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The Commission on Appointments confirms the selection of Gilberto The Commission on Appointments confirms the selection of Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr. as secretary of the Department of National Defense in Pasay City on September 13, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said he does not expect the administration of President-elect Donald Trump to demand that the Philippines pay more for military support and protection because both Manila and Washington face the shared threat of Beijing.

Teodoro made the statement at a press conference with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles following the Philippines-Australia Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Canberra on Tuesday.

“I really don’t expect some sort of statement from Mr. Trump. Hopefully not,” Teodoro said. “I really don’t have any preconditions or any assumptions as to what will be the outcome of this administration, except on what we are working on, on institutional ties this time.”

“The institutional arrangements that have been made, our mutual defense treaty, our squad partnership, are enhanced cooperation, which are based on the fact that we have an interest, both the United States and the Philippines, in ensuring that our partnership continue because, not totally, but principally because of shared threats,” he added.

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Teodoro went on, “That is undoubtedly the overreach and the aggressive and illegal activities of China.”

The defense secretary believes the two countries’ ties will remain unchanged under the Trump administration.

“Then again, our ties go back several years, and there may be some nuances in our relationship, but the general policy remains the same, and we are very thankful for the bipartisan support that the Philippines has received from the US Congress,” he said.

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez earlier said that he does not see any change in the defense relationship of the Philippines and the US under Trump's administration. 

Similarly, the Armed Forces of the Philippines also believes that the defense ties between the two countries will remain unchanged. 

Last Thursday, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between Manila and Washington, which was signed in 1951, and its implementation will continue regardless of who won the US presidential election.

US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson also said on Wednesday that whoever won the presidency — Manila and Washington will remain "steadfast friends and ironclad allies".

China pushing Philippines to cede claims in WPS – Teodoro

In the same press conference, Teodoroalso  said China is putting greater pressure on the Philippines to cede its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.

“What we see is an increasing demand by Beijing for us to concede our sovereign rights in the area because of our need to explore and exploit the resources in these areas for the benefit of our own people,” he said.

He then continued, “That is clear. We don’t need to enter into a geopolitical nexus for determining the root cause of the problem because we are direct victims of Chinese aggression in this and in a concentrated area so far, thus far, in the West Philippine Sea.”

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea and has brushed aside a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that its sweeping claims were not supported by international law.

The China Coast Guard and maritime militia have been harassing, blocking and executing dangerous maneuvers on Philippine vessels conducting maritime operations, particularly to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Escoda Shoal and Panatag Shoal.

The meeting between Teodoro and Marles, their fifth since August 2023, reflects deeper security ties between Manila and Canberra.

The two countries signed a strategic partnership in September 2023. They then held their first joint air and sea patrols in the West Philippine Sea months later.

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