Philippines and US in Talks for Third Hamilton Class
USCGS Jarvis 725 scheduled to be decommissioned in 2013 (photo : USCG)
U.S.
triples military aid to Philippines
in 2012
(Reuters) - The United States
will nearly triple its military funding for the Philippines
this year, the Philippine foreign ministry said on Thursday, as tensions rise
with China over disputed
islands and Washington bolsters its alliance
with Manila.
However, the Philippines
expressed concern over what it said was a sharp decline in its share of U.S. foreign military financing (FMF) despite Manila's central role in the U.S.'s
military "pivot" back to Asia.
Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario said the Philippines accounted for over 70 percent of
total FMF allocation for East Asia in 2006,
compared to 35 percent this year.
"We hope this is not indicative of the priority placed
on the Philippines as a
regional partner, as even non-treaty allies appear to be getting a bigger share
of the FMF allocation," del Rosario said in a speech at the Heritage
Foundation in Washington,
according to a foreign ministry statement.
Del Rosario was in Washington
for the first "two-plus-two" dialogue among their foreign and defense
secretaries as they look at ways to deepen ties and help Manila build a "minimum credible defense
posture".
Washington
agreed to provide $30 million in FMF this year, up from an initial 2012
allocation of $15 million and from $11.9 million last year. In 2003, funding
amounted to $50 million as Washington sent
forces to help the Philippines
battle al Qaeda-linked militants.
The Philippines
is offering the United States
greater access to its airfields and may open new areas for U.S. soldiers to use as it seeks stronger
military ties with its ally and faces rising tensions with China in the
maritime dispute.
The United States
also agreed at the meeting to share "real-time" data on the South
China Sea, suggesting it will give Manila
more of its surveillance data on naval activity. The State Department also
promised to explore "creative funding streams" to help the Philippine
military.
Del Rosario, who previously served as Manila's
ambassador to Washington, also urged the U.S. to lift conditions on a portion of FMF
allocation for the Philippines.
Since 2008, the United States
has withheld the release of about $3 million in military financing for the Philippines due
to political killings and human rights abuses.
He said the current government of President Benigno Aquino
has already taken significant steps to end these killings and has improved
human rights conditions.
Since 2002, the Philippines
has received nearly $500 million in military aid from the United States, according to the U.S. embassy in Manila. The amount does not include the
transfer of 20 reconditioned helicopters, a Cyclone-class ship and a
Hamilton-class cutter.
A second Hamilton-class cutter will be transferred later
this month and the two sides are discussing the possibility of a third
Hamilton-class ship and a squadron of second-hand F-16 fighters.
(Reuters)
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