US missile destroyer makes port call in Manila

The USS Curtis Wilbur, a US missile destroyer, has arrived in Manila for a routine port call.

The visit “highlights the strong historic, community, and military connections between the Philippines and the United States,” the US Embassy in Manila said in a statement on Friday.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer. which arrived in Manila on Wednesday, is on patrol with Carrier Strike Group 5 in the US 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific, it added.

The visit comes a week after the international Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines, saying China’s massive claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis.

READ: US superforce patrolling PH Sea

Service members from Curtis Wilbur will participate in a series of community relations projects and events, while experiencing Filipino culture.

Wilbur was named after Curtis Wilbur, the 43rd Secretary of the Navy, who served under President Calvin Coolidge. CDG/rga

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