The Philippines , and , the United States , have agreed to quick- track the long- interrupted conclusion of a critical intelligence- sharing agreement before the end of the year,  , Manila ‘s , ambassador to , Washington , said on Wednesday, amid shared concerns over an extremely assertive , China.
The renewed push to seal a General Security of Military Information Agreement ( GSOMIA ) within the year was one of the outcomes of a meeting between senior Filipino and American officials in , Washington , this week, Ambassador , Jose Manuel Romualdez , said in a press briefing here.
” They’re hoping to be able to accomplish that before the end of the year … I think they’re working extra because it’s very essential to our security strategy”, Romualdez told reporters participating in a reporting visit hosted by the , US Embassy , in , Manila.
Since overdue 2021, both parties have been negotiating to argue a GSOMIA, but some dates have been postponed in order to finalize the deal. According to officials, the deal will formalize the intelligence-sharing activities and establish protocols for protecting top-secret information or tech transfer between security allies.
When asked about the causes of the delays in the deal, Romualdez said,” We have some things that we do n’t have that we need to be able to put together, but I think we’ve been able to go around that so that we can speed it up because this is very important.” He said,” I think the determination was made that we will complete it by the end of the year.”
Security strategy
Additionally, Romualdez said the two nations agreed to finish the blueprint for safety business aid by the end of the year. This strategy of , Washington ‘s , safety help lays out the shipping for “priority security programs” for , Manila , over the next five to 10 years.
Another bill, introduced by US senators , Bill Hagerty , and , Tim Kaine , in early April as a draft of the Philippines Enhanced Resilience Act, seeks to modernize the Philippine government through a grant redistribution totaling of$ 2.5 billion, to be spread over five years starting in 2025 at$ 500 million per year.
If passed, the bill “would greatly help”  , Manila , beef up its defenses, the ambassador said.
Senior officers from , the Philippines , and US were in , Washington , for the 11th Bilateral Strategic Dialogue on , April 22 to 23. The meeting, according to a joint statement, serves as” the main annual system for our two places to explore the full range of political, safety, and economic assistance, change opinions on current issues and strategic priorities, and discover new creative initiatives”.
The meeting came two weeks after , President Marcos , visited , Washington , for the historic trilateral summit with US President , Joe Biden , and Japanese Prime Minister , Fumio Kishida. Marcos and Biden also met separately.
In addition to the new agreements reached by both parties this week, there are those that call for them to” consider and develop, as appropriate, procedures and protocols on cooperative maritime law enforcement operations” and to intensify cooperation in the fight against “foreign information manipulation.”
Fighting “false narratives”
Additionally, they agreed to advance best practices “in the clean and renewable energy transition and the strategic trade management,” taking note of the ongoing dialogue on civil nuclear cooperation and the signing of a civil nuclear cooperation agreement.
Romualdez said the cooperation on foreign information manipulation would help push back against “false narratives every time something happens in the , West Philippine Sea”, where , China , has repeatedly accused , the Philippines , of “putting up an aggressive behavior” and being a “proxy” for US interests in the region.
Philippine officials, however, dismiss the Chinese statements as a mere ploy to steer the conversation away from , Beijing ‘s , encroachment and bullying in the , West Philippine Sea.
China ‘s , claim over nearly the entire , South China Sea , overlaps with those of , the Philippines,  , Vietnam,  , Brunei,  , Malaysia , and , Taiwan. It has been invalided by a 2016 arbitral ruling, which , Beijing , continues to ignore.
___
( c ) 2024 the Asia News Network
Distributed by , Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
