US Pacific Fleet chief reaffirms defense ties with Philippines
During his visit, Swift met with Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Eduardo Año and Philippine Navy Flag Officer-in-Command Vice Adm. Ronald Mercado. AP/Bullit Marquez, File
MANILA, Philippines - As American forces continued to assist the Philippine military in the campaign to end the Marawi siege by militants, US Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Scott Swift concluded his three-day visit yesterday with a renewed commitment to strengthen his country’s defense and counterterrorism partnership with the Philippines.
“I’m very pleased to have had the opportunity to visit with senior government and military leaders here in Manila. We continue to build on the strong relationship we have and to reaffirm our commitment to working together to face shared challenges,” Swift said.
During his visit, Swift met with Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Eduardo Año and Philippine Navy Flag Officer-in-Command Vice Adm. Ronald Mercado.
“The Philippine Navy is a valued and enduring ally of the US Navy and a close partner of the Pacific Fleet,” he said.
The long-standing alliance between the Philippines and the US, he stressed, has contributed to peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region for more than 70 years.
Also part of their security partnership is the US commitment to help improve the Philippines’ capability to respond to natural disasters, piracy and other transnational crimes.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Monday that the US “proudly stands” with the Philippines as a longstanding ally and supports the government’s operations against the Islamic State-aligned Maute militants in Marawi City.
The US embassy in Manila confirmed that US special operation forces are helping the AFP end a siege of Marawi City by militants.
Malacañang clarified that US forces were only providing technical support and no American soldier was directly involved in combat operations.
Military officials said the US assistance includes training and sharing of intelligence information.
Mercado said Swift had indicated his Hawaii-based command’s readiness to respond to any request for assistance from the Philippine military, including for the operation against militants in Marawi City.
He added the US naval official had even offered to allow Filipino sailors to train in US naval vessels. – With Jaime Laude, Michael Punongbayan
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