US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has arrived in the Philippines in an official visit, the US Embassy to the Philippines said Thursday night.

"Welcome to the Philippines, @SecDef  Pete Hegseth! This visit highlights the importance of the U.S.-Philippine Alliance and our ironclad commitment as #FriendsPartnersAllies dedicated to ensuring a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific. #SafeStrongProsperous 🇺🇸🤝🇵🇭," US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay L. Carlson said on X. 

Manila is part of Hegseth's first trip to Asia as defense chief, the Pentagon earlier said.

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

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

His Asia-Pacific trip will also take him to Japan, Hawaii, and Guam.

Hegseth visit highlights strong PH-US military ties: AFP

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Saturday said that during Hegseth's visit, Manila and Washington are set to tackle ways of "enhancing bilateral and multilateral partnerships further.” 

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

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." - with a report from Agence France-Presse