PH, US top navy officials to hold talks in Manila

Philippine Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Adm. Toribio Adaci Jr. and United States Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti will meet in Manila on July 26 to enhance future partnerships between their countries in the face of growing regional tensions over Beijing’s aggression in the South China Sea.

“The two naval leaders are to discuss a host of topics, including maritime security, joint exercises, maritime domain awareness and future partnership opportunities for both navies with the aim of strengthening US Navy-Philippine Navy ties and enhancing capability development and interoperability,” Commander John Percie Alcos, Philippine Navy spokesperson, said in a statement on Wednesday.

The meeting will be held ahead of the 2+2 meeting in Manila between the two countries’ defense and foreign affairs officials on July 30. The Philippine Navy, according to Alcos, remains grateful for the US Navy’s continuous support and cooperation through high-level interactions “to develop greater understanding and information sharing between the two forces.” Last month, the navies of the Philippines, US Japan, and Canada held joint patrols in the South China Sea as part of a multilateral maritime cooperative activity amid Beijing’s harassment of Philippine ships in the strategic waterway. — NESTOR CORRALES