US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, called newly appointed Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on the phone on Friday (Manila time) and discussed the tension in the South China Sea, among other issues. Pompeo spoke with Locsin, erstwhile Philippine permanent representative to the United Nations, to congratulate him on his appointment. “The secretary reaffirmed the longstanding United States-Philippines alliance and recognized the Philippines’ important role in the Indo-Pacific region,” US state department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a press release.

Yap, D. (2018, October 27). Pompeo, Locsin discuss sea row. Philippine Daily Inquirer, A7.