Defending undisputed territory among reasons for seeking bigger US military role in PH—Palace

MANILA, Philippines—Preventing China from intruding into undisputed Philippine territory in the West Philippine Sea (West Philippine Sea) is among the Philippines’ motivations in negotiating a new agreement for an expanded US presence in the archipelago, Malacañang said on Friday.

“Certainly, we are obliged and our treaty partners are obliged to help defend us when there are incursions into undisputed Philippine territory,” said Secretary Ricky Carandang, head of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office.

“What we are trying to do is to do enhance our capability to defend our territory,” he added in a news briefing on Friday afternoon.

Asked if preventing incursions into undisputed Philippine territory in the contentious West Philippine Sea was one of the reasons in pursuing a new deal, Carandang said “Yes.”

“But not just that (whether) with the US, on our own or with other countries, it’s meant to defend our territorial integrity,” Carandang said.