US Pacific command chief to visit Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Amid fresh tensions in the West Philippine Sea, the chief of the United States (US) forces in the Asia Pacific is set to meet with Philippine officials to discuss defense issues in the region.

A US Embassy statement said US Pacific Command chief Admiral Samuel Locklear III is expected to visit Manila on June 6 to 7 to tackle security matters with his Philippine counterparts.

“During his visit, Admiral Locklear will consult with defense officials in the Philippine government on a range of common security challenges,” the US Embassy said without elaborating.

Locklear is expected to meet with Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.

Officials could not tell the agenda of the talks. Locklear’s visit will not be open to the media.

Locklear’s visit follows his attendance at the recently-concluded Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where he met with security officials from the region.

Last week, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to its Mutual Defense Treaty with Manila, which is embroiled in a territorial row with China.

Hagel made the commitment during a meeting with Gazmin on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue.

The Defense department has welcomed Hagel’s statement and is hopeful that the US would continue backing efforts to maintain freedom of navigation in the region.

“We look forward to the continuous and more active role of the US in contributing to the freedom of navigation in the region,” Defense department spokesman Peter Galvez told The STAR in a recent interview.

Tensions in the West Philippine Sea mounted last month after China deployed three ships around the Ayungin Shoal, which is well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

The Philippines has protested China’s illegal deployment of vessels within its territory in violation of the international law.

The protest, however, fell on deaf ears as China continued to send ships and vessels around the shoal, which is 105.77 nautical miles from Palawan.

Latest monitoring by Philippine authorities revealed that at least three Chinese ships are still in the area.

China’s intrusion is not limited to the Ayungin Shoal as Chinese ships continue to patrol the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, a Philippine-owned area located 124 nautical miles from the nearest base point in Zambales.