Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. receive United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III during his fourth visit to the Philippines on November 18, 2024. Handout/DNDMANILA -- United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III is optimistic that the US alliance with the Philippines will “transcend” changes in administrations. 

In a press conference at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command in Palawan on Tuesday, Austin said the Philippines “will remain an important country [for the US] for many years to come.”

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“What I can tell you is what I know, and what I know is that I’ve seen strong support for the Philippines by the US, and my guess is that we’ll continue to see that moving forward,” Austin said. 

“That’s evident to most people. It’s in both of our best interest to continue to develop the relationship and help the [Philippine defense] secretary meet his goal in terms of modernization so that we can protect the sovereignty and the people of the Philippines,” he added. 

Austin and his counterpart Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. visited the AFP Wescom Headquarters as part of their bilateral engagements.

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The two secretaries expressed concerns over China’s behavior in the South China Sea, with Austin describing it as “concerning” and “dangerous.”

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“The behavior of the PRC has been concerning. They do dangerous and escalatory measures to enforce their stance in the South China Sea,” Austin said. 

He also reiterated Washington’s commitment to Manila under the Mutual Defense Treaty. 

“When it comes to our Mutual Defense Treaty, what we have been emphasizing is that we remain committed to the treaty, we stand with the Philippines and we condemn the dangerous actions of the PRC against the Philippine operations in the South China Sea,” the secretary added. 

“We’ll continue to work with our allies and make sure we are doing the right thing to promote a secure and open Indo-Pacific,” Austin further said. 

Teodoro, meanwhile, said China has been “more aggressive” in denying the Philippines access to its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.

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“It’s the same story over and over again… They [China] have placed a lot of pseudo-military vessels disguised as China Coast Guard and Chinese maritime militia vessels in the areas in the WPS. They have been very aggressive in their information operations against the Philippines,” Teodoro said. 

The secretary explained this was further highlighted by the fact that the Chinese issued comments on the newly-signed General Security of Military Information Agreement or GSOMIA between the Philippines and the US. 

“All of these actions prove the existence of some motive brought about by a close political system, where the external controls the internal political environment,” he continued. 

Teodoro noted that insofar as Manila is concerned, aside from being treaty allies, the country’s partnership with Washington stands for “upholding international law and values of freedom and democracy.” 

China 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, as well as to Escoda Shoal and Panatag Shoal.

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