President
Benigno Aquino III’s presence in the special summit between the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States will show the
Philippines’ solidarity with the other ASEAN leaders in promoting regional
stability, a Philippine ambassador to the United States Jose Cuisia Jr.said.
"The
summit is an opportunity for leaders of the ASEAN and the US to have candid
conversations about issues of mutual concern. It is an important step for the
leaders to substantiate their strategic partnership between the US and ASEAN,”
Cuisia said.
More
to the point, the summit underscores the central role of ASEAN in ensuring
stability and prosperity in the region. As a member of ASEAN, the Philippines appreciates
the significance of a summit in the development of a regional framework,” he
added.
He
noted that a summit reaffirms the commitment of the US to continue playing a
key role in ensuring the regional security architecture for the 21st century.
The
summit is described as “unprecedented” since it will be the first time Obama
will be meeting all ASEAN leaders on US soil.
Among
the agenda of the summit include the South China Sea, trade, climate change and
counterterrorism.
Ambassador
Cuisia, meanwhile, underscored that the bilateral relations between the
Philippines and the US “have never been better.”
“As
we mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Philippine-US relations,
we highlight the durability, comprehensiveness, and dynamism of our ties. We
have always been supportive of the rebalance to Asia-Pacific policy of the
United States as it is an opportunity to deepen further our alliance in various
areas of cooperation,” he said.
He
said the Philippines intends to be a reliable and responsible ally with the US
as both countries have reaffirmed commitment to jointly address maritime
security, climate change, and violent extremism, among others.
"Our
defense and security arrangement has never been stronger and nor more focused,”
he said.
He
further noted that the Philippines cooperation with the US in the area of
maritime security and maritime domain awareness has actively contributed to the
security and stability of the region.
He said
the recent approval of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement “will further
strengthen our alliance and this will help us in expanding further our
capability and it will also help us in our defense modernization efforts.”
Cuisia
likewise said the Philippines has likewise expanded its relations with the US
in terms of the bilateral economic engagement.
"US
is the second largest source of inward tourism, and the US is also the third
largest in terms of foreign direct investments in the Philippines,” he said.
He
noted that the positive transformation of the Philippine economy as a result of
the reform agenda undertaken by the government of President Aquino has made the
Philippines a stronger and more attractive partner, economic partner of the US.
He
said the Philippines is also working to further enhance economic relations with
the US by joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is also likely to be
discussed in the summit.
“We
are not yet a member of but we hope that with the support of the US and other
countries that are presently members of TPP, we will eventually become a member
of TPP,” he said.
In
the field of development cooperation, Cuisia said the Millennium Challenge Corporation
Board selected the Philippines for a second compact.
“As
you know, we will be completing the first compact in May and that has helped
our efforts in terms of poverty reduction, inclusive growth, infrastructure
development, and battling corruption. We hope that the second compact will
allow us to leverage on the gains that we have achieved in the first compact,”
he said. (PCOO News Release)
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