MANILA, Philippines – Walang kakaiba sa pagsasagawa ng joint patrol ng Filipino at American warship dahil patuloy naman ang pagtutulungan ng dalawang bansa sa nakalipas na ilang dekada.
“The Philippines and the United States have been operating together for decades, so under the title of joint patrols, just recently on the 4th of September, we executed the first one that was aligned, designed, and built by (Armed Forces of the Philippines chief) Gen. (Romeo) Brawner’s (Jr.) team and my team executed with approval from our leaders,” pahayag ni US Indo-Pacific Command chief, Adm. John Aquilino, sa presser sa sidelines ng Mutual Defense Board – Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) meeting sa Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
“And we’ll continue to do that for a long term, ultimately to ensure that we can maintain the freedom of the seas, freedom of airspace so that all the nations in the region can enjoy peace and prosperity.”
Noong Setyembre 4, nagsagawa ng “bilateral sail” ang Filipino at American warships sa dagat na sakop ng Palawan.
Tampok sa aktibidad ang “robust maritime cooperation” sa pagitan ng dalawang bansa.
“The activity is done under the MDB-SEB framework that aims to develop operational interoperability between the navies of the two countries,” saad sa pahayag ng AFP.
Ipinadala ng AFP ang guided-missile frigate na BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), habang ang US Navy ay nagpadala ng Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, na USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114).
Samantala, sinabi ni Brawner na nakikipag-ugnayan na rin sila sa ibang bansang interesadong lumahok sa “joint sail.”
“Aside from the United States, several countries have given their intention of joining the ‘joint sail’ and for us in the Philippines, this is a very good indication of the intent of like-minded countries to come together to promote the rules-based international order and to make sure that security in the Indo-Pacific region is maintained at all times,” ani Brawner. RNT/JGC
