US support for Philippines steadfast regardless of election outcome — officials

MANILA, Philippines — Any possible leadership shakeup in the United States from its upcoming elections will not affect the country's commitments to the Philippines, its oldest treaty partner in Asia, Washington's top diplomat and defense chief said on Tuesday.

With less than a hundred days before the US decides on a new president in November, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that the longstanding alliance between the US and the Philippines "doesn't change from election to election."

“We have a Mutual Defense Treaty that the United States is committed to, that commitment will endure,” Blinken said at a joint press conference with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

Blinken and Austin are in Manila for a "2+2" dialogue with their Philippine counterparts Teodoro and Manalo, a visit that forms part of the US officials' 10-day tour across six countries in Asia. Both officials came to Manila after holding the same meeting in Japan.

The visit is believed to signal Washington's continued support for countries it considers strategic allies and partners ahead of the brewing showdown between US vice president Kamala Harris and former US president Donald Trump in the US presidential elections. 
 
"Elections are a regular feature of our democracy. What's also a regular feature is a long standing alliance between our countries," Blinken added.

Austin said that support for the Philippines in the US is bipartisan, transcending party lines. "And any time you see that level of bipartisan support, you can bet that support will continue." 
 
With over seven decades of bilateral relations, Manalo said that the Philippines-US alliance has "withstood the test of time."

The DFA secretary attributed the strength of the Philippines and the US' ties is anchored on shared values, strategic interests, and strong people-to-people ties. 

Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippines' ambassador to the US, wrote in a July 21 column that the Philippines maintains strong relationships with both Republicans and Democrats."

Since assuming the position in 2017 under former US President Donald Trump, Romualdez said the Philippines receives consistent bipartisan support from US Congress members and the American public

“Regardless of who is in the Oval Office, the relationship between the Philippines and the United States will remain strong and stable due to our many shared values and deep people-to-people connections,”Romualdez said.

Blinken and Austin's visit comes right after the Philippines completed a successful resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal without any Chinese vessels disrupting the operation.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, while the Philippines, among other Southeast Asian nations, have overlapping claims to parts of it.

Beijing has also persistently ignored a 2016 international tribunal ruling that its claims have no legal basis. 

In 2014, the Philippines and the US signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), a pact that observers say is part of a broader strategy to counter China's aggressions in the South China Sea, portions of which are the West Philippine Sea.

The agreement grants the US military access to Philippine bases for joint training, positioning of equipment and building of facilities such as runways, fuel storage and military housing. 

In April, Marcos met with leaders of Japan and the United States for a historic trilateral summit aimed at boosting economic and security ties. The DFA described the meeting as an “admirable aspiration that should not be considered a threat by any peace-loving country.” 

China slammed the trilateral meet among the three countries and scored the Philippines and Japan for "(inviting) factional opposition into the region" and engaging in cooperation that is "at the cost of hurting another country’s interests."