MANILA — The Philippines and the United States are set to tackle ways of “enhancing our bilateral and multilateral partnerships further,” Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Saturday, days before his American counterpart’s scheduled visit to  Manila.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to arrive in the Philippines next week after his trips to Hawaii and Guam, according to the US Embassy.

“All I can say is we will talk about enhancing our bilateral and multilateral partnerships further, greater interoperability,” Teodoro told reporters on the sidelines of the Philippine Army’s 128th founding anniversary.

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“Of course, we also have to take a look at future programs that both governments will enter into,” he said.

Teodoro did not give a direct answer on whether Washington is interested in increasing the number of Philippine bases it can access, or if discussions would involve the positioning of the US Typhon missiles, a pain point for China.

“The content? Let’s wait for the meeting,” he said.

“All I can say is we will talk about our existing partnerships, bilaterally and multilaterally and how to move it further,” he said.

The US Department of Defense earlier said that Hegseth “will travel to the Philippines to advance security objectives with Philippine leaders and meet with U.S. and Philippine forces.”

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“Secretary Hegseth's trip comes as the United States builds on unprecedented cooperation with like-minded countries to strengthen regional security,” the statement read.

Hegseth’s trip to the Philippines next week will be his first as US President Donald Trump’s defense chief.

The former Army National Guard officer-turned-television personality was earlier criticized for failing to name a single country in Southeast Asia during his confirmation hearing.