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Philippines, U.S. reaffirm adherence to defense deals

Xinhua, January 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Philippines and the United States reiterated on Wednesday their commitment to the six-decade old defense treaty and the other recent defense pact despite a pending petition before the Supreme Court to declare it unconstitutional.

This was contained in a joint statement that the two countries released after the two-day Fifth Philippine-U.S. Bilateral Strategic Dialogue held in Manila.

"We reaffirmed our steadfast commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951, as reiterated in the November 2011 Manila Declaration and reiterated in the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA)," the joint statement said.

Several groups have been questioning before the high court the constitutionality of EDCA, signed by the two countries hours before U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Manila in April last year.

The statement said that both sides decided to continue mutually beneficial efforts to reinforce their respective national and collective defense capabilities, including countering terrorism; to strengthen maritime security and maritime domain awareness; and to enhance disaster risk management, disaster preparedness, and rapid response.

The Philippines also welcomed the willingness of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, an innovative and independent U.S. foreign aid agency that is helping lead the fight against global poverty, to consider Manila eligible for a second compact.

The two countries also discussed collaboration in science and technology, energy security, health, climate change, and other areas.

They also underscored their shared commitment to respecting the rule of law and human rights, and discussed cooperative activities in enhancing law enforcement and combating transnational crime, including money laundering; cybercrime; and trafficking in persons, wildlife, and illicit drugs.

The two countries also had an "in-depth" exchange of views on regional and global development, including measures to ensure that "the alliance continues to contribute to regional peace and stability," the statement said, as it cited their "concern" over the developments in the South China Sea. Endi