Business opportunities to Filipinos seen in IRP pact with US

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines wants to open up business opportunities to Filipino suppliers of goods, products and services with the proposed Increased Rotational Presence (IRP) agreement with the United States (US).

“At the instance of the Philippine Panel, the United States Panel agreed to the inclusion of provisions on environment and safety, and opportunities for potential Philippine suppliers of goods, products and services,” the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC said in a statement Monday.

The Philippines and the US recently held the sixth round of negotiations on the rotational presence of US military troops in the country last March 4 to 6.

The US is rebalancing its military assets towards Asia. The move is regarded as a way to keep China, which has been increasingly aggressive in its territorial claims, in check.

“This fresh round has clearly shown the shared commitment of both parties to enhance cooperation in defense, security and related fields, including humanitarian assistance and disaster response,” Pio Lorenzo Batino, Department of National Defense (DND) Undersecretary and Chair of the Philippine Negotiating Panel, said in the statement.

“The Philippine Negotiating Panel is guided by the principles of full respect for Philippine sovereignty, non-permanence of US troops and no US basing in the Philippines, mutuality of benefits and respect for the Philippine Constitution, including the prohibition against nuclear weapons,” he said.

Both panels are set to continue negotiations sometime late March to finish remaining issues.

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