Camille Naredo

U.S. Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth listens as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks in the Oval Office of the White House on March 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images/AFP 

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 21: U.S. Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth listens as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks in the Oval Office of the White House on March 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump announced the Next Generation of Air Dominance (NGDA) program, the F-47, the sixth-generation high-tech Air Force fighter to succeed the F-22 Raptor.   Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Anna Moneymaker / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Article (news)

President Trump And Defense Secretary Hegseth Speak In The Oval Office

Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:958px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1742893995141AFP__20250322__2206270002__v3__HighRes__PresidentTrumpAndDefenseSecretaryHegsethSpea.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="U.S. Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth listens as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks in the Oval Office of the White House on March 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images/AFP "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">U.S. Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth listens as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks in the Oval Office of the White House on March 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. <em>Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images/AFP </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The upcoming visit of United States Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth to the country this week highlights the strong military ties between the Philippines and the US, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Tuesday.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/24/philippines-us-kick-off-army-drills-ahead-of-hegseth-visit-1846">Philippines, US kick off army drills ahead of Hegseth visit</a></div><p>AFP spokesperson Colonel France Margareth Padilla said the visit reaffirms Washington’s ironclad commitment to Manila.</p><p>“Itong visit na ito reaffirms itong laging sinasabi ng ating ally for a long time, ang US, that &#x27;yung commitment nga nila is ironclad dito sa pagsupport sa atin and strengthening our alliances with them,” Padilla told reporters in a press briefing.</p><p>Hegseth will meet with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Friday, March 28, for a bilateral meeting.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/02/06/20/in-numbers-how-beneficial-is-vfa-to-the-philippines">IN NUMBERS: How beneficial is VFA to the Philippines?</a></div><p>The visit marks the first time the two defense chiefs would meet in person since US President Donald Trump took office at the White House in January.</p><p>Padilla also noted that Hegseth’s visit will take place on the heels of preparations for the Balikatan exercise between the AFP and US Armed Forces.</p><p>“We look at this as an opportunity, itong Balikatan exercises, which is going to be one of the biggest again, to have more activities and more exercises on live fire exercises, and different activities as well,” Padilla noted.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/25/afp-welcomes-possible-deployment-of-second-typhon-missile-to-ph-1301">&#x27;The more, the merrier&#x27;: AFP welcomes possible deployment of second Typhon missile to PH</a></div><p>“Nakita natin na as we go along through the years, naiimprove itong systems that we have in place in order to strengthen our interoperability and integration of our systems with one another,” she added.</p><p>“Nakikita natin na with this upcoming Balikatan, there are more countries also trying to join the bandwagon. This is actually a step in the right direction for us,” she further said.</p><p>The 40th iteration of the Balikatan exercise will kick off on April 21st.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RTUWK2liEDU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>AFP said the visit reaffirms Washington’s ironclad commitment to Manila.</p>

Hegseth visit highlights strong PH-US military ties: AFP

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Nation

Hegseth visit highlights strong PH-US military ties: AFP

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 25, 2025 05:14 PM PHT

Read More:

Secretary Pete Hegseth

visit

Armed Forces of the Philippines

Philippine-US military ties

US military

AFP

politics

ANC

ANC promo

ABSNews

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.