00:00The United States is ready to continue the long-standing alliance, friendship, and cooperation in the Philippines.
00:08That's what US President Donald Trump promised when he sent a courtesy call to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
00:16To President Ferdinand R. Marquez Jr., Hegseth also mentioned the goal of expanding the military-to-military cooperation between the US and the Philippines.
00:26He also emphasized the strong cooperation between the two countries, particularly in terms of defense and maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific region.
00:36Hegseth also praised the country's commitment to strengthening its sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.
00:43He also emphasized the importance of deterrence or strategies to avoid any chaos in the South China Sea.
00:51President Marcos also supported the United States in advancing the sovereignty of the Philippines without the use of force.
01:21There's a real reason why our first trip and our first visit is here to visit you in your great country.
01:27Your visit to the region and especially the fact that you have come to the Philippines as your first stop is a very strong indication
01:36and sends a very strong message of the commitment of both our countries to continue to work together to maintain the peace in the Indo-Pacific region,
01:48within the South China Sea.
01:50And I know that the work that we will do in the time that you have here, brief as it is, in the time that you have here in the Philippines,
01:58will be extremely productive and very, very important as we chart our way into the future, considering how complicated geopolitics has become.
