Despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s “independent” foreign policy, the Philippines is not abandoning its traditional alliance with the United States, Malacañang said on Monday. Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. reiterated that the country remains a US ally, citing a meeting between Philippine government officials led by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and the chief of the US Pacific Command in Hawaii over the weekend. Joining the meeting with Admiral Harry Harris Jr. were Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, according to Roque.

Valente, C. S. (2018, May 22). Palace: PH sticking to alliance with US. The Manila Times, p. A1, A2.