Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez stated Monday that joint patrols between Manila and Washington within the West Philippine Sea may start within the third quarter of this yr.
“We’re already at a… I would call continuing discussions on this joint patrol with the United States. I could guess, an estimate would be no later than the third quarter of this year. We should have that in place,” Romualdez stated in an interview on CNN Philippines.
To recall, the Philippines and the United States determined to increase cooperation on maritime safety by way of however not restricted to joint patrols.
In a reality sheet launched by the White House, it was acknowledged that underneath deepening interoperability, the purpose is to increase cooperation on maritime safety and maritime area consciousness, together with by way of the continued conduct of mixed maritime actions, together with however not restricted to joint patrol.
In March, the Philippine authorities stated it’s within the means of “crafting guidelines” on maritime actions, together with joint patrols with allies.
Meanwhile, Romualdez stated the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty is now clearer following the assembly between Marcos and US President Joe Biden.
“I think that this time, the Mutual Defense Treaty is not only clear but it also sets what are the parameters on how we will proceed in terms of invoking it,” he stated.
Both nations had emphasised the necessity to reaffirm dedication to the Mutual Defense Treaty to handle each present and rising threats.
Marcos stated the decades-old treaty ought to evolve amid the growing safety scenario within the area.
Meanwhile, Romualdez described Marcos’ journey to the US as “near perfect” regardless of a few conferences that didn’t occur due to a decent schedule.
“I would like to say it’s near perfect because everything we’ve planned for that trip came into fruition, so to speak,” Romualdez stated. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
