Bev Llorente, ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-social"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="335" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/36G37uAFDsc" width="510"></iframe></figure><h3>Philippines right to bring China to court, US Presidential candidate says</h3><p>The Philippines took a step in the right direction when it filed a case against China in the international arbitral tribunal in connection with the two countries&#x27; maritime dispute, former U.S. Secretary of State and Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tells ABS-CBN News.</p><p>The Philippines took a step in the right direction when it filed a case against China in the international arbitral tribunal in connection with the two countries&#x27; maritime dispute, US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton told ABS-CBN News&#x27; North America bureau.</p><p>In an exclusive interview, the former U.S. secretary of state, expressed support for Manila in its dispute with Beijing over the West Philippine Sea.</p><p>&quot;I have been very strongly in support with the Philippines in this dispute and I am proud of the Philippines for taking their dispute to the international court,&quot; Clinton said. &quot;I thought that was a very wise decision, because there should not be a seizure of any territory until there&#x27;s some kind of resolution that is legal.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I have supported the Filipino government in taking the action that they have in the courts and I have visited the Philippines when I was secretary of state to show my support for them to be able to protect their coastline and their possessions the territories that the Philippines claim,&quot; Clinton said. &quot;I am going to continue to support the Philippines because you are a close friend of the United States.&quot;</p><p>&quot;You are a treaty ally. We have a mutual defense pact. The Philippines are helping themselves but they are also asking help from the United States, which I&#x27;m very pleased we are giving to you. So you can count on me to protect the interest in the South China Sea because it&#x27;s important that these disputes be handled in a diplomatic and legal matter not by force or seizure.&quot;</p><p>Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario earlier <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/-depth/09/17/12/dfa-west-ph-sea-covered-mutual-defense-treaty" target="_blank"><strong>said</strong></a> that under the Philippine-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty, the United States is under obligation to defend the Philippines if its forces are attacked in the West Philippine Sea. </p><p>&quot;If we are attacked in the West Philippine Sea that would be included under the scope of the Mutual Defense Treaty and that’s covered by a diplomatic note,&quot; Del Rosario revealed on ANC&#x27;s &quot;Headstart.&quot;</p><div><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/video/focus/04/29/14/what-philippines-us-mutual-defense-treaty-says" target="_blank"><strong>WATCH: What the PH-US Mutual Defense Treaty says</strong></a></div><div><strong>IMMIGRATION REFORM</strong></div><p>After securing her victory in Nevada, Clinton&#x27;s next stop is the Democratic South Carolina primary next week.</p><p>In her interview, Clinton also stressed the need for a comprehensive immigration reform in the United States.</p><p>Among U.S. immigrants, Filipinos have to wait the longest to send for their families. This long wait time for family-based petitions could finally be shortened, if Clinton gets elected.</p><p>&quot;You know, I&#x27;ve been an advocate for Filipino-Americans for a long time. I was one of the senators who worked hard to make sure that Filipino war veterans got the benefits that they had earned and had not yet been delivered to them. I want to take a hard look at how we can expedite family re-unification; that should be our highest priority. We need comprehensive immigration reform to take care of the people here, and as part of that we need to be expediting family re-unification for people who have been waiting in line in order to try to get rid of that backlog,&quot; Clinton said.</p>

The Philippines took a step in the right direction when it filed a case against China in the international arbitral tribunal in connection with the two countries' maritime dispute, former U.S. Secretary of State and Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tells ABS-CBN News.

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Clinton backs PH moves in sea dispute with China

Clinton backs PH moves in sea dispute with China

Bev Llorente,

ABS-CBN News

Published Feb 24, 2016 03:44 AM PHT

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Updated Feb 24, 2016 09:17 AM PHT

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