RP wants U.S. military presence

RP wants U.S. military presence

MANILA (AFP): Philippine Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado Saturday pushed for a strong U.S. military presence in the country amid a row with China over the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea.

The Senate should ratify a visiting forces agreement (VFA) with Washington that would pave the way for joint military exercises, Mercado said.

He said sectors opposing the pact should put national interests first, noting that a U.S. military presence in the region was a "balancing" factor.

"What we are saying is that in the interest of stability in the region there should be American presence," Mercado said on President Joseph Estrada's weekly radio program.

"Because if there is no American presence, we all know who would come in. Isn't it already obvious?," he said referring to China's military structures on Mischief Reef, a coral formation in the Spratly chain claimed by the Philippines.