‘US proud of its enduring alliance with Phl’

WASHINGTON – The Philippines is an important democracy and strategic partner of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region and America is proud of its enduring alliance with it, Secretary of State John Kerry said on the eve of Philippine Independence Day.

“Today our two countries enjoy ever-broadening cooperation on challenges from countering extremism to strengthening economic ties,” he said in a statement on Monday congratulating the people of the Philippines on the 115th anniversary of their nation’s independence.

“As Filipinos around the world come together to celebrate, I wish you a joyous Independence Day and a prosperous future,” Kerry said.

Kerry said he was especially proud of his long connection to the Philippines and noted he was an election observer in Manila for the 1986 presidential elections that “restored democracy to a people yearning to be freed from dictatorship.“

He said one of the first possessions he hung on the wall at his office at the State Department was the Order of Sikatuna he received from the Philippine government two years ago.

Philippine Ambassador Jose Cuisia is holding a reception on Wednesday at the Hay Adams Hotel close to the White House to commemorate Independence Day.

Cuisia over the weekend traveled to Charleston, South Carolina to bid farewell to the officers and crew of the Philippines’ newest warship, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz as it set sail for Manila.