Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said the south east Asian country welcomes Secretary Hillary Clinton visit the Philippines for two days on Novemeber 12th and 13th before the APEC Summit in Singapore that lasts until the 19th
Secretary Clinton’s first visit to the Philippines as U.S. Secretary of State will be meeting with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her Philippine counterpart Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto G. Romulo in what has been called closed door discussions.
Secretary Romulo says: “This visit by Secretary Clinton is a good opportunity for the Philippine and U.S. governments to have substantial discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest – disaster management, the Mindanao peace process, climate change, and nuclear non-proliferation.”
The announcement on the visit of the Mrs. Clinton comes a day after the Philippine Ambassador to the United States told President Arroyo and her cabinet that a major upgrade in a IS aid package for disaster relief is enroute as well as a increased allocation for the Philippine military assistance package is also underway for the country which is America’s oldest and closest Ally in Asia.
President Obama had designated the Philippines as key coordinator in talks with the Philippines. Some of Obama’s closest advisers on Asia Pacific issues and the South East Asian region are people he has known since before entering politics
Manila and Jakarta in nearby Indonesia are close to the President childhood memories. His mother worked in the region with the Ford Foundation for over a decade in development projects while the President was growing up.
US Congress Doubles Obama Administration Aid package to Philippines to $667 million
The United States Congress has pushed for higher U.S. military assistance to the Philippines compared to previous years’ levels. Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo said that “both Houses of the U.S. Congress have recommended close to double the amount requested by the Obama administration for foreign military assistance.”
This request for the Philippines is the second largest amount of military assistance in the Asia Pacific region. Secretary Romulo also confirmed Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro’s statement that Senator Daniel Inouye, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair, committed to increase defense and security assistance for the Philippines.
Overall, the Obama administration has proposed US$667 million in assistance for the Philippines in Fiscal Year 2010 to include defense, security and economic assistance; poverty alleviation under the Millennium Challenge Account; and veterans’ benefits.
In its submission of its budget request for 2010, the Obama administration recently requested for the deletion of the conditions on
US$2 million in security assistance in the 2009 appropriations act in recognition of significant progress made by the Philippines in addressing human rights concerns.
“The Philippine Government had been recognized by both the Obama administration and the U.S. Congress for its efforts in addressing human rights issues. We welcome U.S. engagement with our country because we share the same values of democracy, freedom and rule of law. The Philippine Government remains fully committed and determined to address issues in relation to the protection and promotion of human rights,” Secretary Romulo added.