I welcome the establishment of the Philippines-United States Defense Policy Board, as agreed upon by Philippine Secretary of National Defense Angelo Reyes and United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld during their meeting in Washington on 13 August 2002.

This new bilateral policy body will complement existing defense consultative mechanisms, namely the Council of Foreign Ministers and the Mutual Defense Board, both of which are under the framework of the 1951 RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty.

Both the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of National Defense have always believed that there is a need to establish a mechanism that could conduct a broader review of our defense and security relations, particularly in the context of the new security challenges that face both our nations and the world.

It is precisely with this in mind that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and President George Bush agreed last November in Washington to establish “a new bilateral defense consultative mechanism” as contained in paragraph 7 of the Joint Statement between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines issued during the Visit of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Washington DC, on 20 November 2001.

When we were negotiating the Joint Statement, it was our understanding that the Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as other relevant Philippine Government agencies, would be an active participant in this new bilateral defense consultative mechanism.

I look forward to the activation of the Philippines-United States Defense Policy Board and I am confident that this Board will serve to enhance our military and security cooperation with the United States, with the view towards building our own defense and security capabilities.