Cayetano and Pompeo meet, agree to ‘reinforce’ PHL-U.S. ties

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alan Peter Cayetano and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meet at the U.S. Department of State on June 21.

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alan Peter Cayetano and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meet at the U.S. Department of State on June 21.

By Rene Pastor

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met for the first time on June 21 where both agreed to work closely to reinforce the relationship between Manila and Washington.

“Secretary Cayetano and Secretary Pompeo had an open and cordial interaction at the State Department. and we are optimistic this would reinforce the ties that bind the relations between our two countries and peoples,” Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said in a statement.

Romualdez said Pompeo expressed hope for another meeting between President Rodrigo Duterte and President Donald Trump as a follow up to the “productive and warm friendship” the two leaders developed during the ASEAN Summit in Manila last November.

Duterte’s government appears to be forging closer ties with the Trump administration, which has muted criticism of his anti-drug campaign. In fact, the 120th Philippine Independence Day celebration was hosted by the embassy at the Trump Plaza Hotel. Romualdez defended his decision, calling the hotel “elegant and historic.”

Ties between the two countries were strained by criticism of the Duterte’s anti-drug campaign by U.S. officials under then President Barack Obama. Manila has drawn closer to U.S. rival China, calling Beijing a “true friend.”

The meeting between Cayetano and Pompeo, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, was also attended by Philippine National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. Also present during the meeting was Assistant Secretary Ma. Lumen Isleta of the Office of American Affairs of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs.

Philippine National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. joins Secretary Cayetano in the meeting with Secretary of State Pompeo.

Philippine National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. joins Secretary Cayetano in the meeting with Secretary of State Pompeo.

Cayetano and Pompeo underscored the importance that the Philippines and the United States place on their “shared historical and people-to-people ties and the strength of their defense alliance,” the Philippine Embassy statement said.

Romualdez said the meeting also allowed Cayetano the opportunity to share with his counterpart the independent foreign policy of the Duterte administration and its positions on such issues as the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula.

“The Secretary told Secretary Pompeo the Philippines views the current developments in the Korean peninsula with optimism and that the Philippines is hoping the positive momentum generated by the Singapore Summit will bode well for the broader Asia-Pacific region,” Romualdez said.

The U.S. is touting the result of the summit meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Cayetano delivered a personal letter from Duterte congratulating Trump for the “successful” summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore earlier this month.

Cayetano and Esperon told Pompeo of Manila’s appreciation for the assistance and cooperation extended by the U.S. in various areas, including counterterrorism and the rehabilitation of Marawi. Philippine security forces fought a bitter five-month campaign against extremists that began in May 2017. The militants included fighters from the Islamic State, the Maute and Abu Sayyaf jihadist groups.

The fighting left the Islamic city of Marawi largely in ruins. The government’s decision to rebuild the city by hiring two Chinese companies has also drawn controversy. The China State Construction Engineering Corp. Ltd. (CSCEC) and China Geo-Engineering Corp. (CGC) were blacklisted by the World Bank in 2009 over alleged anomalies in a road project in the Philippines.

© The FilAm 2018



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