US reaffirms defense aid for PH, support in West Philippine Sea

The Pentagon hosted an enhanced honor cordon for President Marcos ahead of his bilateral meeting with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. photo from Presidential Communications Office

WASHINGTON DC — The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to the Philippines to provide defense and security support, including potential armed attacks in the West Philippine Sea, as geopolitical tension mounts across the globe.

President Marcos on Monday met with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who hosted an enhanced honor cordon before their bilateral meeting.

The ceremony, a formal military exercise meant to welcome high-ranking dignitaries like foreign heads of state, was done at The Pentagon, the official headquarters of the US Department of Defense.

In his opening speech, Marcos thanked the United States for its “continuing support that we feel and that we need in the face of the threats our country is facing.”

“I believe that our alliance, the United States and the Philippines, had formed a great part in terms of preserving the peace, in terms of preserving the stability of the South China Sea,” the President said.

For his part, Hegseth reiterated Washington’s commitment to uphold its Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with Manila.

“This pact extends to armed attacks on our armed forces, aircraft or public vessels, including our Coast Guards anywhere in the Pacific, including the South China Sea,” Hegseth said.

READ: Palace confident Trump honoring US pledges to PH

The Philippines and the United States are bound by their decades-old MDT to practice mutual defense support and cooperation.

Signed in 1951, the MDT makes the Philippines one of America’s oldest and strongest allies—a fact that experts say could be Manila’s bargaining chip in tariff negotiations.

Apart from the MDT, the two nations also signed the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement and the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

The US government in February called the growing Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea “unsafe and irresponsible” and vowed to continue extending security support to the Philippines in defending the strategic waterway.

Beijing remains aggressive in laying claim to the West Philippine Sea despite losing its case in the historic 2016 international arbitration ruling.

Marcos’ meeting with Hegseth is the first in the President’s agenda during his three-day official visit in Washington DC.

He will end his trip with a bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday morning (Washington time) to negotiate a lower tariff for the Philippines. /cb