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1 1 (December 19, 2018)

handle is hein.crs/govyvl0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Updated December 19, 2018 The Philippines Overview The United States and the Republic of the Philippines maintain a deep relationship that includes a bilateral security alliance, extensive military cooperation, close people-to-people ties, and many shared strategic and economic interests. The Philippines' history of U.S. administration (1898-1946), which followed 300 years of Spanish rule, also has shaped the relationship. Bilateral relations have faced challenges under President Rodrigo Duterte, elected in 2016, who has pursued rapprochement with China and a violent antidrug campaign. Major areas of U.S.-Philippine cooperation, nonetheless, have continued. Among Filipinos, popular support for the U.S.-Philippines relationship traditionally has been strong. A 2018 Pew poll found that 83% of Filipinos have favorable views of the United States, one of the highest proportions of any country in the survey, and that Filipinos prefer U.S. global leadership (77%) over that of China (12%). The Philippines is the United States' 23rd largest trading partner, and the two nations conducted $20 billion in trade in 2017. President Duterte remains popular. A September 2018 poll by Philippine-based Pulse Asia Research showed him with a 75% approval rating. In September 2018, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Philippine Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana met in Washington, DC. Secretary Pompeo pledged support for the modernization of the Philippine Armed Forces (AFP) and U.S. commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). In December 2018, the United States returned the Bells of Balangiga, which were taken by U.S. soldiers in 1901 during the Philippine-American War, a gesture that Manila has long sought. See CRS In Focus IF10990, The Return of the Bells of Balangiga to the Republic of the Philippines, in Context. Defense Relations President Duterte expressed skepticism of his country's strategic tilt toward the United States under his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III. According to analysts, Duterte has more actively hedged Philippine ties with the United States, its principal diplomatic and security partner, and China, its largest trading partner. The Philippines has expanded its sources of military and development assistance, including from U.S. allies and strategic partners Australia, Japan, South Korea, and India, as well as from China and Russia. The Philippines signed a defense cooperation agreement with Japan, its largest foreign aid donor, in March 2016. U.S.-Philippine security ties, nonetheless, remain close. U.S. military personnel and the AFP collaborate on counterterrorism efforts, regular joint military exercises, and humanitarian activities in the Philippines. In 2014, under former President Aquino, the two nations signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), allowing the increased rotational presence of U.S. military forces, ships, and aircraft; U.S. access to five Philippine military bases; and the possibility of more joint exercises. The Visiting Forces Agreement, which entered into force in 1999, requires U.S. forces in the Philippines to assume a noncombat role and not to establish a permanent base of operations on Philippine soil. Balikatan (Shoulder-to- Shoulder), the premier annual bilateral exercise, took place in May 2018 with 8,000 U.S. and Philippine troops and small military contingents from Australia and Japan. Philippines at a Glance Geography: Mountainous archipelago Land Area: Slightly larger than Arizona Population: 105 million Ethnic Groups: Mostly Malay (9500); Chinese, mixed race (Filipino-Spanish, Filipino-Chinese, Filipino-American), and other (5%). Religious Affiliation: Roman Catholic (81%); other Christian (9%); Muslim (5%); other (5%). Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $877 billion (purchasing power parity). Global ranking: 29. Per Capita GDP: $8,400 (purchasing power parity). GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (9%); Industry (3100); Services (60%). Life Expectancy: 69 years Literacy: 96% Source: Central Intelligence Agency, The World Foctbook, 2018 War on Drugs According to official statistics, there were an estimated 1.8 million users of illegal drugs, mostly methamphetamines, in the Philippines at the start of Duterte's anti-narcotics campaign in July 2016. Since then, between nearly 5,000 and over 12,000 drug suspects have been killed in the government's War on Drugs, also known as Operation Double Barrel. The government claims that nearly 5,000 were killed by police in legitimate law enforcement operations. Human rights groups say that virtually all of the killings have been carried out without due process, and that the vast majority of victims have been poor, low-level offenders. They allege that police have collaborated with vigilantes, planted evidence at the scenes of killings, fabricated reports, and held suspected drug offenders for ransom. In March 2018, Duterte announced that the Philippines would withdraw from the International Criminal Court after the tribunal launched a preliminary investigation into possible crimes against humanity related to the drug war. See CRS In Focus IF10743, The Philippines: War on Drugs and Human Rights Concerns. ittps://crsreports.congress

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