(As Prepared)
Good morning and welcome to the U.S. Embassy. We are honored to host the Mangrove Forum here today. Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, Officer-in-Charge Jose Faustino, welcome; we appreciate hearing your views, including in the question-and-answer portion of the discussion. Dr. Jaime Naval, Dr. Maria Ortuoste, it is a pleasure to have you join us for this discussion also; we are very fortunate to have both foreign policy practitioners and foreign policy teachers and researchers here to share their insights.
I would also like to acknowledge the team from the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Foreign Service Institute, or FSI, led by Ambassador Jose Cariño. The U.S. Embassy’s longstanding partnership with the Philippine FSI enables us to collaborate with our fellow Filipino counterparts to discuss regional and global issues that have political, economic, social, and cultural impacts on both our countries. I look forward to joining more of these conversations.
You may have heard me say – in the press, during previous speeches, and on social media – that we frame almost everything we at the U.S. mission do with the Philippines with the phrase “friends, partners, and allies.” I was pleased to hear President Marcos use the same characterization during his meeting with President Biden. The term “friends, partners, allies” is more than a simple catchphrase, or hashtag – it is a guiding principle for everything we do as a diplomatic mission. Since we are focusing today on security, I’d like to discuss this guiding principle in reverse order – allies, partners, friends.
Although the Philippines is our oldest treaty ally in East Asia, our 71-year-old alliance now has a new energy and revived confidence. As you know, President Biden was the first world leader to call then-President-elect Marcos to congratulate him on his victory and a distinguished Presidential delegation led by Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff attended President Marcos’s inauguration. Soon after I arrived as Ambassador, Secretary Blinken visited the Philippines in August for his first time as Secretary of State. In September, we welcomed President Marcos to New York, where he addressed the UN General Assembly and met with President Biden. Also in September, I joined Secretary of Defense Austin as he met with DND Officer-in-Charge Faustino in Hawaii.
All this activity reflects the new energy I speak of – energy in our engagement, and a new optimism and confidence in the value of our Alliance to both our nations. As stated in President Biden’s recently released National Security Strategy, we seek a free, open, prosperous, and secure world. Our Alliance with the Philippines is central to this effort.
In his meeting with President Marcos in August, Secretary Blinken underlined our commitment to the U.S.-Philippine alliance as outlined in the Mutual Defense Treaty, or MDT, and the Secretary reaffirmed the broad scope of our mutual defense commitments under that treaty. We maintain an ironclad commitment to the MDT and to working with the Philippines on shared challenges. Some have asked, what, exactly, does “ironclad” mean? Ironclad, according to the dictionary, means sheathed in iron plates or armor, like a navy vessel; it is used figuratively to mean unbreakable, secure – as in an ironclad oath, treaty, or agreement.
I would like to expand on the idea of our ironclad commitments with regard to meeting shared challenges together. When we signed the MDT back in 1951, our security ties focused on military affairs. This is understandable; we had just emerged from the devastation of World War II. Our Embassy, where we sit today, was one of the few structures to survive the Battle of Manila in 1945.
More than seven decades later, when we talk about security and our alliance, we acknowledge that most of the challenges we face do not have military solutions. I am talking about climate change and its impact on storm-prone areas. I am talking about the state of the oceans, which sustain our citizens’ wellbeing, especially here in the Philippines, with its thousands of islands and miles of coastline. I am talking about our response to the global pandemic, which affected everyone and continues to influence our daily lives. I am talking about food security, cybersecurity, and sustainable energy resources – these and many issues that are key to the livelihood and wellbeing of our peoples and institutions.
The United States partners with the Philippines with the clear-eyed recognition that these challenges make up our shared present. Our response to these challenges – how we cooperate, and how we plan our next steps – will determine our future together.
The tone for bilateral ties is set at the top. We were pleased to hear President Marcos say – most recently in New York – that he cannot imagine the Philippines’ future without a close bond with the United States. To paraphrase President Marcos’s comments to me when I presented my credentials, we are closely tied because of the deep relationship between the United States and the Philippines and the history that we share. I was honored to occupy the stage last week with President Marcos at the 78th Leyte Gulf Landing commemoration – yet another demonstration of the importance of our shared history and the strong ties it engendered.
Even more important, perhaps, than commemorating our history together is ensuring for future generations the enduring value of our ongoing, comprehensive relationship. The new vigor in the Alliance was clear when Officer-in-Charge Faustino and Secretary Austin met in Hawaii on September 29 – a meeting which I joined. Both sides stressed a commitment to strengthen the alliance as a bond between equally sovereign partners, to protect the peace and wellbeing of our peoples.
Secretary Austin stressed that the United States remains unwavering in support for a strong and independent Philippines that can defend its sovereignty and prosperity, as well as strengthen security in the region. He pledged our commitment – aligned with your government – to uphold a vision of an open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, free from coercion or bullying. Secretary Austin added that we are more than allies, we are “family” – a bond that reflects our common history, interests, values, and vision for the future.
Immediately before the two senior-most defense officials met, our two militaries convened their biggest annual planning meeting, hosted this year by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii (where, by the way, I learned that 25 percent of the population traces its roots to the Philippines). Our women and men in uniform on both sides were the ones who held high the banner of our bilateral ties and championed them throughout the pandemic when travel was difficult. Even during challenging political times, they continued to train, exercise, and conduct exchanges in ways that exercised our collective muscle memory and kept our skills fresh, maintaining our Alliance’s ability to uphold our commitments to mutual defense.
Every year, we hold many bilateral military engagements – from major training exercises like “Balikatan” in April and the recently completed Kamandag exercise, to ship visits such as the visit this month by the Nimitz-class carrier USS Ronald Reagan, to expert exchanges on key issues like cybersecurity and grey zone tactics. This cooperation goes on every day in support of our obligations under the Mutual Defense Treaty. Our Visiting Forces Agreement makes all that work and training together possible and provides the essential framework to ensure quick response in times of disaster or crisis.
Through the challenges of the pandemic, our militaries kept the engine of the Alliance running – at the tactical level of our security cooperation. What we are aiming to do now is complement this tactical know-how by revving up the strategic, policy-level direction in the Alliance. In the coming months, we expect to hold our Bilateral Strategic Dialogue (BSD), and a “2+2 Dialogue” of our senior-most foreign and defense officials – referred to as “2+2” in diplo- speak. These meetings represent important opportunities to reiterate our shared vision of the Alliance and offer a platform to explore ways we can modernize the Alliance to confront today’s complex challenges to our regional security interests.
As your ally, we support President Marcos’s statement that the Philippines will not cede “even one square inch of territory.” In the South China sea, as allies, we stand together to oppose attempts by those who seek to advance unlawful maritime claims in the Philippine exclusive economic zone or on its continental shelf. As Secretary of State Blinken publicly stated on July 11, and I quote, “an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments.” Secretary of Defense Austin reiterated this commitment when he said most recently on September 1 that “U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty commitments extend to Philippine armed forces, public vessels, and aircraft in the South China Sea.”
We appreciate the leadership the Philippines shows by championing freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. And we call upon the PRC to fulfil its treaty obligations under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention to comply with the legally binding decision of the Arbitral Tribunal in 2016, which delivered a unanimous and binding decision firmly rejecting the PRC’s expansive and unlawful maritime claims. We recognize Philippine sovereign rights and jurisdiction under the international law of the sea in accordance with that decision, including with respect to maritime zones in the vicinity of Second Thomas Shoal and Reed Bank. More broadly, we stand with you, our Philippine ally, to consult, assist, deter, and respond to any threats and provocations.
We have heard President Marcos underscore that the Philippines’ foreign policy is one of peace. Which is why we share Filipinos’ concern over the PLA’s provocative military activity in the Taiwan Strait and areas around Taiwan – including ballistic missile launches and deployments of aircraft and naval vessels across the Strait’s median line.
The United States, the Philippines, and virtually every country in the world all seek constructive relations with the PRC. China is the world’s second-largest economy. Its ties with the Philippines are enhanced by close geography and long history. We in the United States look to cooperate with China on shared interests – especially on global challenges such as climate change and health. Our aim is to ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains free, open, prosperous, secure, and resilient, and we seek like-minded partners to help achieve this goal.
In this regard, the United States has committed over $625 million over the last five years for Philippine defense and security enhancements designed in large part to bolster capacity in Philippine maritime areas in the South China Sea. We train together as partners to increase communication and information sharing. And multiple parts of our mission, including defense personnel, law enforcement officials, our legal attaches, and our economic and commercial colleagues, work daily with their counterparts to strengthen Philippine cybersecurity. Our goal through all these efforts is to continue to be your partner of choice.
The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, is another way we operationalize the Mutual Defense Treaty. In the next two years, the United States expects to spend $70 million for infrastructure improvements for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. These improvements are designed to enhance cooperative defense capacities and support Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Response activities, in ways that best meet the needs of the AFP and the Alliance. Together we are looking at more ways to expand EDCA to directly strengthen our work together.
While I’ve spoken a great deal about our security relationship, I also wish to highlight one of the other key pillars of U.S.-Philippine ties, our economic partnership. President Marcos’s visit to the New York stock exchange and his meetings with U.S. business leaders demonstrated the enthusiasm of the U.S. private sector for seeking sound business opportunities in the Philippines.
The United States remains one of the Philippines’ closest economic partners, with nearly $30 billion in bilateral trade in 2021. The United States is also the Philippines’ third-largest investor, with almost $150 million in new foreign direct investment in 2021. U.S. firms – including many household names like Texas Instruments, Concentrix, Chevron, Proctor & Gamble, and Coca Cola – are among the Philippines’ top exporters, biggest taxpayers, and largest employers, and many U.S. firms have been active in the Philippines for over a century. With hundreds of thousands of Filipino employees, and a long history of commitment to workforce development and training, American companies are truly invested in the Philippines.
We look forward to expanding our economic cooperation with the Philippines and other regional partners through initiatives including the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, or “IPEF.” The Philippines is a founding member of IPEF and has committed to all four pillars of the framework – trade, supply chains, a clean economy, and a fair economy. It is great to see Philippine economic experts heavily involved in the development of IPEF.
Most recently, the Philippines participated in the first IPEF ministerial in Los Angeles, helping to define the scope of each of IPEF’s four pillars. Moreover, as the host of the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation forum or APEC in 2023, we look forward to welcoming delegates from the Philippines throughout 2023 to advance critical cooperation on economic policies, including inclusive and sustainable economic growth, particularly for micro, small, and medium enterprises.
The Philippines is one of the world’s top producers of nickel, a critical mineral used in battery and electronics manufacturing, and is a critical node in the global supply chain for semiconductors. The United States – through IPEF and other initiatives like the Creating Helpful Incentives to produce Semiconductors, or CHIPS Act – stands ready to work with the Philippines to harness this competitive economic advantage and bolster our mutual economic prosperity. We aim – with partners like the Philippines – to set the rules of the road for 21st century trade and beyond.
The Biden and Marcos administrations are also partners in addressing the climate crisis. We have a long line of clean energy partnerships with the Philippines, and this shared effort is vital for economic growth, vital for innovation, and vital for responding to the climate crisis.
The most recent example of this shared effort is a U.S. grant to develop offshore wind projects in the Philippines, an initiative that is expected to generate enough energy to power two million homes.
And finally, animating every aspect of U.S.-Philippine relations are the deep bonds of friendship and family between our two peoples. There are over four million U.S. citizens with
PRC’s expansive and unlawful maritime claims. We recognize Philippine sovereign rights and jurisdiction under the international law of the sea in accordance with that decision, including with respect to maritime zones in the vicinity of Second Thomas Shoal and Reed Bank. More broadly, we stand with you, our Philippine ally, to consult, assist, deter, and respond to any threats and provocations.
We have heard President Marcos underscore that the Philippines’ foreign policy is one of peace. Which is why we share Filipinos’ concern over the PLA’s provocative military activity in the Taiwan Strait and areas around Taiwan – including ballistic missile launches and deployments of aircraft and naval vessels across the Strait’s median line.
The United States, the Philippines, and virtually every country in the world all seek constructive relations with the PRC. China is the world’s second-largest economy. Its ties with the Philippines are enhanced by close geography and long history. We in the United States look to cooperate with China on shared interests – especially on global challenges such as climate change and health. Our aim is to ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains free, open, prosperous, secure, and resilient, and we seek like-minded partners to help achieve this goal.
In this regard, the United States has committed over $625 million over the last five years for Philippine defense and security enhancements designed in large part to bolster capacity in Philippine maritime areas in the South China Sea. We train together as partners to increase communication and information sharing. And multiple parts of our mission, including defense personnel, law enforcement officials, our legal attaches, and our economic and commercial colleagues, work daily with their counterparts to strengthen Philippine cybersecurity. Our goal through all these efforts is to continue to be your partner of choice.
The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, is another way we operationalize the Mutual Defense Treaty. In the next two years, the United States expects to spend $70 million for infrastructure improvements for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. These improvements are designed to enhance cooperative defense capacities and support Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Response activities, in ways that best meet the needs of the AFP and the Alliance. Together we are looking at more ways to expand EDCA to directly strengthen our work together.
While I’ve spoken a great deal about our security relationship, I also wish to highlight one of the other key pillars of U.S.-Philippine ties, our economic partnership. President Marcos’s visit to the New York stock exchange and his meetings with U.S. business leaders demonstrated the enthusiasm of the U.S. private sector for seeking sound business opportunities in the Philippines.
The United States remains one of the Philippines’ closest economic partners, with nearly $30 billion in bilateral trade in 2021. The United States is also the Philippines’ third-largest investor, with almost $150 million in new foreign direct investment in 2021. U.S. firms – including many household names like Texas Instruments, Concentrix, Chevron, Proctor & Gamble, and Coca Cola – are among the Philippines’ top exporters, biggest taxpayers, and largest employers, and many U.S. firms have been active in the Philippines for over a century. With hundreds of thousands of Filipino employees, and a long history of commitment to workforce development and training, American companies are truly invested in the Philippines.
We look forward to expanding our economic cooperation with the Philippines and other regional partners through initiatives including the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, or “IPEF.” The Philippines is a founding member of IPEF and has committed to all four pillars of the framework – trade, supply chains, a clean economy, and a fair economy. It is great to see Philippine economic experts heavily involved in the development of IPEF.
Most recently, the Philippines participated in the first IPEF ministerial in Los Angeles, helping to define the scope of each of IPEF’s four pillars. Moreover, as the host of the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation forum or APEC in 2023, we look forward to welcoming delegates from the Philippines throughout 2023 to advance critical cooperation on economic policies, including inclusive and sustainable economic growth, particularly for micro, small, and medium enterprises.
The Philippines is one of the world’s top producers of nickel, a critical mineral used in battery and electronics manufacturing, and is a critical node in the global supply chain for semiconductors. The United States – through IPEF and other initiatives like the Creating Helpful Incentives to produce Semiconductors, or CHIPS Act – stands ready to work with the Philippines to harness this competitive economic advantage and bolster our mutual economic prosperity. We aim – with partners like the Philippines – to set the rules of the road for 21st century trade and beyond.
The Biden and Marcos administrations are also partners in addressing the climate crisis. We have a long line of clean energy partnerships with the Philippines, and this shared effort is vital for economic growth, vital for innovation, and vital for responding to the climate crisis.
The most recent example of this shared effort is a U.S. grant to develop offshore wind projects in the Philippines, an initiative that is expected to generate enough energy to power two million homes.
And finally, animating every aspect of U.S.-Philippine relations are the deep bonds of friendship and family between our two peoples. There are over four million U.S. citizens with Filipino ancestry who call the United States home. And there are more than 300,000 American citizens who live in the Philippines. We saw evidence of these deep ties during the visit of the USS Ronald Reagan – one out of every ten of the nearly 5,000 sailors on that ship is Filipino or Filipino-American. Our cultures are deeply tied together, through food, through film, through fashion, and through sport. I’m looking forward to seeing this firsthand soon when I attend my first Philippine basketball game.
As President Biden highlighted during his meeting with President Marcos, we share a “critical relationship” with the Philippines. The Philippines is an irreplaceable ally, not only in the increasingly complex Indo-Pacific region, but also globally. The Philippines is a vital economic partner, with whom we are working to strengthen our economies and fight global challenges like climate change. And we value the Filipino people as our dear, cherished friends. I’ve been struck by the enthusiasm for the United States that I’ve seen firsthand here in Manila and during my travels around the Philippines. Likewise, the many high-level U.S. government leaders who have visited the Philippines in recent months have seen and felt that enthusiasm and, as a result, have returned to the United States convinced of the enduring value of our bilateral relationship, energized and optimistic about what we can accomplish together.
Thank you again for joining us today and for providing me with an opportunity to share what the United States means when we say we are honored to count the Philippines as our friend, partner, and ally. I look forward to your questions.