Obama urged to accept Aquino invite to visit Phl

WASHINGTON – President Obama should accept President Aquino’s invitation to visit the Philippines, the Heritage Foundation think-tank said. Aquino extended the invitation during his visit to the US.

As America’s longest standing treaty ally in the Pacific, the Philippines deserves the respect a US presidential visit conveys, said Robert Warshaw of the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation. And since Obama’s schedule did not permit him time for a formal one-on-one with Aquino in New York or Washington, accepting Aquino’s invitation would demonstrate a tremendous display of friendship.

“Perhaps the time is finally ripe for such a trip. After all, the two leaders do have a lot to talk about. President Obama should accept President Aquino’s invitation for several reasons,” Washaw said.

Warshaw said the visit would serve the geostrategic interests of both countries. The US has consistently affirmed its national interest in protecting freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and ensuring stability throughout Asia, and a visit to the Philippines would demonstrate America’s commitment in this area.

The conservative Heritage Foundation has written extensively on how the US can better support the Philippines in protecting its territorial sovereignty against Chinese assertion over the West Philippine Sea, or South China Sea to the Chinese.

“Obama’s visit could serve as a catalyst for an even greater level of cooperation on this and many other issues, most notably combating terrorism and drug trafficking,” Warshaw said.

Also, Obama should use a trip to the Philippines to discuss means of boosting bilateral trade and investment and, among other things, getting behind the SAVE Act which seeks to allow Philippine-made apparel using US fabrics to enter the US duty free, Warshaw said.

“In visiting the Philippines, Obama can capitalize on the exceptional goodwill of the Filipino people and better demonstrate US commitment to the region as a whole, further proving to an oftentimes fickle Southeast Asian audience that, as Secretary Hillary Clinton and Secretaries of State before her have said, America is in the Asia Pacific to stay,” he said.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Phl-US alliance and for it to survive another 60 years, the US must not falter in its commitment to the Philippines, Warshaw added.

“The US has consistently affirmed its national interest in protecting freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and ensuring stability throughout Asia, and a visit to the Philippines would demonstrate America’s commitment in this area,” Warshaw added.

“Seemingly simple things like a presidential visit will go a long way in reminding all of Asia that the US is a Pacific nation and will always be a Pacific nation. For these reasons, President Obama should respond with a resounding yes,” Warshaw said. – With Pia Lee Brago