Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo leads an agency he has served for over 40 years.
, Manalo earlier said the Philippines expressed openness to start a fresh round of talks, after negotiations under the Duterte administration ended up in stalemate. But he underscored: “Whatever agreement is reached, we will not agree to anything which is inconsistent or against the Philippine Constitution.”
Manalo was referring to the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States, which bounds both sides to defend one another in case of an attack. Since 2019, US officials had clarified and repeatedly pronounced that the military deal covered the South China Sea. “That is the kind of approach we are also taking nowadays…. If countries feel there are gaps in the human rights approach, countries should help other countries to undertake the necessary programs to address that,” he added.