US general vows to immediately defend Philippine sovereignty

MANILA, Philippines — A United States military official on Thursday vowed to come to the aid of the Philippines "within a matter of hours" in the event that the sovereignty of its Southeast Asian ally is challenged.

Brig. Gen. Paul Kennedy, chief of the US 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, noted that the two countries has had close defense ties in the last 64 years since signing their Mutual Defense Treaty.

"Our mutual security has been upheld to the close working relationship that we have forged in that time," Kennedy said during the opening of this year's Philippine Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) in Fort Bonifacio.

"I would tell you that if anybody would challenge the sovereignty of this country, their best friends within this region would respond within a matter of hours and generally I assure you that that is not a hollow promise," he added.

The Philippines is now embroiled in a territorial dispute with China, which is claiming almost 90 percent of the potentially oil- and gas-rich South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines have overlapping claims in the area, where more than $5-trillion worth of trade passes through annually.

The Philippines has questioned what it described as China's exaggerated territorial claim before an international arbitral tribunal but the Chinese government refused to answer the complaint.

The US has vowed to remain neutral on the dispute but has repeatedly called on China to adhere to the rule of law.

A total of 748 Philippine Marine troopers and 860 US Marines will participate in the PHIBLEX drills to be held from October 1 to 9. This year's drills constitute the 32nd iteration of the bilateral exercise.

Trainings will be conducted in Ternate, Cavite, Crow Valley, Tarlac, San Antonio, Zambales and Palawan to enhance the interoperability of the two forces and their readiness to provide assistance during calamities.

Boat raid drills will be held at the Arrecife Island in Sofronio Espanola, Palawan while mechanized assault exercises will be conducted at the Naval Education Training Center in Zambales. Live fire exercise will also be conducted in Crow Valley.

Maj. Gen. Alexander Balutan, commander of the Philippine Marine Ready Force, said the combined trainings would enable the military to improve its services to the public.

"In training we are not only investing in individual marine, but we are also investing in the future of our country. To me, honing your skills is not only a crucial requisite to rendering better service to the people, but also a reward to one's self as it forms you into a better man," Balutan said.

"Sense of pride should make you to be at your best in your field of work because training is not far from doing our wares, the actual operational environment," he added.

Kennedy said the drills would enable them to learn new lessons that they can apply to the increasingly complex security environment.

"The Philippine Marine Corps and US Marine Corps are absolutely rock solid partners as we train in security cooperation within the region," the US military official said.

"These lessons are becoming more and more acute and remind us of the seriousness of the business that we have at hand," he added.