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.