THE Philippines and the United States have had decades of ties involving economic, political and military matters, and as happens in any friendship, these relations have suffered significant highs and lows.
This bilateral relationship became more pronounced today when the issue of the South China Sea (SCS) became an important item in the agenda of the Indo-Pacific region in the wake of the continuing aggressive activities of our northern neighbor in the waters west of the Philippines.
Time and again, US President Joe Biden and the presidents before him have repeated the assurances that are now a mantra — that the US values its friendship with the Philippines as “iron-clad” and will defend Philippine territory under the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) in cases of a land invasion against any of the parties.
‘While these talks are in the exploratory stage, the initiative of both countries in scaling up their cooperation on the use of space and promoting the strategic sustainability of outer space activities for the benefit of their respective constituents is a step in the right scientific direction.’
We do not wish for the Philippines to be put in a situation where it needs to fight a war, although it is reassuring that a superpower ally never gets tired of airing its statement of support.
The latest news is that the governments of the Philippines and the US are looking at expanding their cooperation on the potential use of space technology for maritime domain awareness that would be beneficial in ensuring the safety of Filipino mariners at sea.
The military aspect of such a cooperative effort, however, is not lost on us.
In a joint statement issued Tuesday, the US and the Philippines said they conducted the first Bilateral Space Dialogue in Washington, D.C. early this month, agreeing that Earth observation is a “priority area for bilateral cooperation.”
“(We) discussed a range of programs that use satellites to better forecast weather patterns; support agricultural and infrastructure planning; help monitor and combat climate change and pollution; prepare for and respond to disasters; improve natural resource use; and provide vital telecommunications services,” the joint statement read.
The two governments likewise agreed to consider the possible hosting of a US Geological Survey Landsat ground station in the Philippines.
“The delegations recognized the potential for expanded cooperation on the use of space for maritime domain awareness, including through the US Department of Transportation-led SeaVision program,” it added.
