United States President Donald Trump’s policy objective to find peace is always noble—how to achieve it is what we have to watch out for, said Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez on Monday.
Following the White House’s recent fallout with Ukraine, questions have emerged about whether the US will remain a reliable partner, particularly in upholding its “ironclad” commitment to the Philippines.
Even former Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio has warned that the Philippines “must prepare for the worst by strengthening its self-defense capabilities at all costs.”
Despite these concerns, Romualdez expressed confidence that what happened to Ukraine would not echo in the Philippines, emphasizing that the US-Philippines alliance is rooted in deterrence rather than conflict.
“We have a visiting forces agreement with many other countries as well because we want to deter, as I said, any potential conflict down the road. And being together in this pursuit of peace in our area is very important for us and for other countries as well,” Romualdez said during the Prospects Forum with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) in Manila.
“So, I am confident that no matter what, that will definitely be the objective of the whole exercise,” he added. The seasoned diplomat highlighted that the Philippines is committed to being a genuine partner in its Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the US, as well as with other like-minded nations.
“President Trump’s idea of what the United States wants to do in terms of helping other countries is to help them to become a real partner. And that’s exactly what we’re saying. We are going to be a real partner, if we have the wherewithal and the resources to be able to do that,” Romualdez said.
“We have a lot of bipartisan support right now from the US Congress precisely because of that attitude that we have. We’re not there to ask for money and that’s it. We’re asking for this investment because we want to be part of the partnership,” he added.
Romualdez reaffirmed that the Philippines’ defense ties with the US remain strong, citing Washington’s decision to unfreeze $336 million in military aid for the country.
He emphasized that key aspects of US support—such as freedom of navigation and overflight operations in the South China Sea, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites, and foreign military financing—will remain intact.
“I am confident that it will. As you can see, we were already given a waiver for the exemption of the $336 million that was supposed to be part of our FMF, or the Foreign Military Financing Assistance, to the Philippines,” Romualdez said.
The Filipino envoy disclosed that US Senator Bill Hagerty is pushing for an additional $2.5 billion in military assistance over the next four to five years to support the modernization of the Philippine armed forces.
“That will continue because not only is it good for the United States, but it’s good for us as well. Other like-minded countries see that since we are right in the forefront of this push to make sure that the Pacific region remains free and clear,” Romualdez said.
“Right now, the $336 million has been announced, but the full amount of $500 million is forthcoming. And, again, when we are discussing the additional ones in the succeeding years, we are having these discussions with the proponents of this bill, which is Senator Hagerty and Senator Tim King. Both have indicated that they will push for the approval of this funding for this effort,” he added.
