Senate President Francis Escudero has dismissed concerns about tensions with China emerging after the United States decided to provide an additional $500 million in military funding to the Philippines.
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"I do not think this will provoke or excite China, because strengthening its own military, like them and most other countries, to maintain peace is the right and duty of every country," Escudero said in a statement.
The Senate President expressed gratitude for the unprecedented assistance and stressed the importance of the US-Philippines partnership in maintaining peace and modernizing the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard.
“This shows that we (the US and the Philippines) are indeed friends and, more importantly, equal partners in maintaining peace, freedom of navigation and a rules-based approach to differences and disagreements,” Escudero said.
