KINUMPIRMA ng United States Embassy ang nakatakdang pagdalaw sa Pilipinas ng bagong talagang U.S. Defense secretary ni President Donald Trump.

Ayon sa ibinahaging pahayag ni Chief Pentagon spokesman Mr. Sean Parnell: “Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will depart early next week for a trip to Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines, and Japan to meet with senior U.S. military and civilian leadership and participate in a series of bilateral meetings. These engagements will drive ongoing efforts to strengthen our alliances and partnerships toward our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific”.

Si DOD Secretary Hegseth ay bibiyahe sa Pilipinas para isulong ang security objectives sa mga kaalyadong lider ng bansa at makikipagpulong sa U.S. at Philippine forces.

“Secretary Hegseth’s trip comes as the United States builds on unprecedented cooperation with like-minded countries to strengthen regional security,” ayon naman sa tagapagsalita ng U.S. Embassy sa Manila.

Kinumpirma rin ng Department of National Defense ng Pilipinas na tatalakayin ng Pilipinas at Estados Unidos ang mga pamamaraan para higit pang palakasin ang bilateral at multilateral partnerships sa pagitan ng dalawang magka-alyadong bansa.

“US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to arrive in the Philippines next week after his trips to Hawaii and Guam,” ayon sa US Embassy.

“All I can say is we will talk about enhancing our bilateral and multilateral partnerships further, greater interoperability,” pahagay naman ni Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, ilang araw bago ang nakatakdang pagbisita sa Pilipinas ng kanyang American counterpart.

“Of course, we also have to take a look at future programs that both governments will enter into,” ayon pa sa Kalihim.

Ang biyahe ni Hegseth sa Pilipinas sa susunod na linggo ay kauna-unahang biyahe nito bilang defense chief ng administrasyon ni US President Donald Trump.

(JESSE KABEL RUIZ)