About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (July 22, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/goveikm0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Servic informig Ih legislative diebat si0e1914 The Philippines Updated July 22, 2022 Overview and Recent Developments The United States and the Republic of the Philippines have maintained a deep relationship that includes a bilateral security alliance, extensive military cooperation, close people-to-people ties, and many shared strategic and economic interests. U.S. administration of the Philippines as a colonial territory (1898-1946), which followed 300 years of Spanish rule, shaped the relationship. Situated east of the South China Sea and south of Taiwan, the Philippines has long played an important role in U.S. Asia policy as a close security and counterterrorism partner. In July 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a call with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, emphasized the increasing significance of the U.S.- Philippine bilateral alliance to security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world. The 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) requires the two countries to help defend each other against external armed attack; Biden Administration officials have stated that the MDT applies to armed third-party attacks against Philippine armed forces, public vessels, and aircraft in the South China Sea. The United States is the Philippines' third largest trading partner, after China and Japan, and its largest export market. The Philippines is one of 14 members of the Indo- Pacific Economic Framework initiative, which the Biden Administration launched in May 2022 to boost economic growth, fairness, competitiveness, and related objectives among allies and partners in the region. Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. assumed the office of President on June 30, 2022, having won more than 31 million out of 55 million votes cast. Marcos is the son of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who ruled the country from 1965 to 1986, including through martial law from 1972 until he was ousted by the 1986 People Power Revolution. Sara Duterte- Carpio, daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, won the Vice-Presidency. The Philippine constitution limits both the President and Vice-President, who are elected on separate tickets, to one six-year term. The World Health Organization reported approximately 3.73 million Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and 60,600 deaths in the Philippines as of July 2022. Over 70% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to the Philippine government. The U.S. government has provided approximately $38 million in pandemic-related assistance and 32 million vaccines through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) program as of March 2022. U.S-Phlppines Defense Relations Former President Rodrigo Duterte (2016-2022) had expressed distrust in the United States and sought to strengthen ties with the People's Republic of China (PRC). However, Duterte's goal of garnering major infrastructure investment from Beijing was largely unsuccessful, and the two countries made no significant progress toward resolving territorial disputes or engaging in joint oil exploration in the South China Sea. In July 2021, the Duterte government announced that it would re-commit to the Philippines-U.S. Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), after announcing in February 2020 that it intended to terminate the pact. The VFA governs the legal status of U.S. forces operating in the Philippines and establishes rules by which U.S. troops, vessels, and aircraft may enter the country. President Marcos has not yet articulated his approach to the U.S. alliance, but he has stated he wants to improve ties with China despite ongoing territorial disputes. The Philippines is the largest recipient of U.S. military assistance in the East Asia-Pacific region, including Foreign Military Financing and assistance under the Department of Defense's (DOD's) Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative (2016-2021). U.S. military personnel and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) hold regular military exercises and maritime patrols, collaborate on counterterrorism, and conduct joint humanitarian activities. In 2022, approximately 3,800 AFP and 5,100 U.S. soldiers participated in Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder), the premier annual bilateral exercise, in the Philippines. The 2022 exercise, described as the largest ever, focused on improving interoperability and joint defense capabilities and engaged in humanitarian and civic assistance projects. Figure 1. The Philippines at a Glance Sources: Map, CRS; Other information, Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, 2022. The United States and the Philippines signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) in 2014, 22 years after the U.S. military withdrew from Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base. EDCA allows for the increased rotational presence of U.S. military forces, ships, and aircraft in the Philippines. In 2016, former President Duterte called for reassessing EDCA and reducing the number of U.S. troops and joint military exercises in the Philippines. In October 2021, following the Philippines'

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most