Fil-Am community leaders applaud ‘ironclad’ US-PH alliance

President Joe Biden, center, speaks alongside Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before a trilateral meeting in the East Room the White House in Washington, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

WASHINGTON – Filipino American community leaders thanked Pres. Joe Biden for “reaffirming the ironclad alliance” between the United States and the Philippines at the recently concluded trilateral summit at the White House.

Biden hosted the first ever trilateral meeting between the US, Philippines and Japan, welcoming Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the White House on April 11.

“We are very pleased the summit goals were realized in advancing a trilateral partnership that is built on friendship, win-win economic relations and the commitment to human rights and democratic values with a shared vision for a free, open and peaceful Indo-Pacific region,” said the US Filipinos for Good Governance (USFGG) and the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) in a joint statement.

“We thank President Biden for his tireless leadership and reaffirming the ironclad alliance between the United States and the Philippines.”

USFGG National Chair Loida Nicolas Lewis. FILE PHOTO

The statement was signed by USFGG National Chair Loida Nicolas Lewis, NaFFAA President Mariela Fletcher, NaFFAA Northeast Region Chair Frank Celosa, USFGG Coordinator Eric Lachica, USFGG Chair Jet Pizarro, USFGG Treasurer Tina Maynigo and USFGG members Apollo Inserto and Dr. Bambi Lorica.

The Fil-Am leaders said they welcome the joint maritime patrols by the US, Philippines, Japan and Australia in the West Philippine Sea.

“The monthlong Balikatan military exercises of 11,000 visiting American troops and 5,000 Filipino soldiers starting on April 22 will further deter the Chinese government from unwise aggressive actions,” the statement said.

The leaders also applauded the Philippines Enhanced Resilience Act (PERA Act), a bipartisan bill introduced by two prominent senators to provide the Philippines with $2.5 billion to boost its defenses against increased aggression by China in the West Philippine Sea.

Sponsored by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), the bill authorizes $500 million a year in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grant assistance to the Philippines over the five fiscal years to 2029.

“As the United States and the Philippines face growing challenges to security and prosperity in the West Philippines Sea and the wider Indo-Pacific, it’s critical for our two nations to deepen cooperation and raise our decades-long alliance to even greater heights,”  Sen. Hagerty said in a statement.

Social costs

However, the Fil-Am leaders have raised concerns over the “social costs” of increasing the number of US bases and American troops in the Philippines under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

“We reiterate our call for the Biden Administration and the Pentagon to consider the rights and welfare of the children who are likely to be abandoned by their American military fathers,” the USFGG and NaFFAA leaders said. “They should be provided for in the EDCA terms of engagement.”

Meanwhile, Fil-Am activists held rallies throughout the US assailing the trilateral meeting at the White House.

Photo courtesy of Kabataan Alliance DMV

Holding a “national day of action” on April 11, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)-US held rallies in Washington DC, Portland, Seattle, Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Joining the rallies were members of the Malaya Movement, International League of People’s Struggles and the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines.

“The Biden Administration had once again invited Marcos to the White House to continue to deepen its stronghold over the Philippines under the guise of ‘ironclad alliances,’” Anakbayan USA  said in a statement.