Tiniyak ni US Defense Sec. Austin: Washington, palaging susuportahan ang Maynila

TINIYAK ni US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III kay Pangulong  Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. na palaging susuportahan ng Washington ang Maynila sa mga usapin na nakakapit sa  South China Sea, habang nagpapatuloy ang tensyon sa pinagtatalunang katubigan.

“Austin hosted Marcos at The Pentagon tackling recent developments on expanding and modernizing bilateral defense cooperation “in support of a vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region and rules-based international order shared by both countries,” ayon kay Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder.

Sinabi ng The Pentagon na kapuwa inihayag nina  Pangulong Marcos at Austin  na pinagtibay ng dalawang bansa ang kanilang commitments  sa ilalim ng Mutual Defense Treaty,  na ngayon ay sumasakop na sa  kani-kanilang  Coast Guards sa Pasipiko, kabilang na ang kahit saan sa South China Sea.

Ito’y base na rin sa  Bilateral Defense Guidelines,  itinatag noong May 3 ni  Acting Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez at Austin, makikita sa fact sheet.

Nakasaad sa Article V ng 1951 treaty  na  “any armed attack on either of the US and Philippines’ armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific, will trigger the agreement.”

“President Biden has made clear our commitment to the defense of the Philippines is ironclad. And let me tell you once again that our Mutual Defense Treaty applies to armed attacks on our armed forces, coast guard vessels, public vessels, or aircraft in the Pacific including anywhere in the South China Sea,” ang sinabi ni Austin kay Pangulong Marcos sa naging talumpati nito.

“So, make no mistake Mr. President, we will always have your back in the South China Sea or elsewhere in the region,” dagdag na pahayag nito.

Para naman kay Pangulong Marcos, “this development heeded the call of the times.”

“And the call of the times unfortunately is asking for us to meet these challenges — new challenges that perhaps we have not faced before,” aniya pa rin.

Tinukoy ng Pangulo ang kahalagahan ng mga nakalipas na pagpupulong kasama sina  US Vice President Kamala Harris at Secretary of State Antony Blinken, kung saan ang kanyang pagbisita ay bahagi ng nagpapatuloy na pagpapalitan ng posisyon at pananaw  na kanilang nasimulan.

Ang pulong ay nagtapos sa pagtatatag ng bagong bilateral defense guidelines, kung saan inilatag ang mga plano para gawing modernisado ang  alliance cooperation para sa  “shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region” ng dalawang bansa.  (Daris Jose)