Hegseth visit shows Phl importance to U.S. envoy

The upcoming visit of United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Philippines is an indication of the country’s value to America, Philippine Ambassador to the Philippines Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez said Sunday.

Hegseth has a meeting this week with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“This is an indication that the Philippines is important to the US, particularly in our defense alliance,” Romualdez said in a radio interview.

On Saturday, the US Department of Defense announced the inaugural visit of the Pentagon chief to the Philippines, one of its oldest treaty allies in the Indo-Pacific Region.

In a readout, Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth’s visit aims to “drive ongoing efforts to strengthen our alliances and partnerships toward our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

“Next, he will travel to the Philippines, where he will advance security objectives with Philippine leaders and meet with US and Philippine forces,” part of the readout said.

According to Romualdez, Manila remains under Washington’s radar, and it should take advantage of its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific Region, especially as tensions rise in areas increasingly controlled by China.

“I am also saying that our current situation — being on the US radar — is important, so we want to take advantage of it. We have a role to play in the US defense strategy, as well as that of our other allies like Japan, Australia, and others,” he said.

“So, we are positioning ourselves to take advantage of this opportunity to modernize our Armed Forces,” he added.

Romualdez also stressed that the Philippines should also take advantage of seeking more economic cooperations with these countries as this will boil down to strengthening the country’s defense capability.

“At the same time, I always emphasize that the attention we are receiving should also come with support for our economy. Our economy needs to be strong so that we can acquire resources to purchase the necessary equipment or arms in case of any conflict in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

He continued: “So far, the response to this message has been positive. They always say that we are right and that they will help us.”

Regarding the first bilateral meeting between Marcos and US President Donald Trump, Romualdez said discussions are ongoing.

“We are currently looking at possible dates… The Trump administration is focused on Ukraine-Russia peace talks and the Middle East, but the Indo-Pacific region is also on their radar,” he said.