Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary and thank you for hosting us once again here in Pentagon.

And thank you for your kind words for our fallen service men who were involved in the accident yesterday.

The–this visit here to the Pentagon reaffirms once again the strength of the relationship between the United States and the Philippines in the face of all of the threats and challenges that we have had  to face together.

The Philippines is always enable to look to the United States for support and we hope that this trilateral agreement, which we formalized yesterday will be a formalization of an added multilateral support and structure that will make the safety, the peace and the stability of the South China Sea a reality and continued to be a reality.

We have done much works since the last time we met. We have done much work  between our two ministries, between also our two governments and I hope that we can continue that trend.

I view the new agreements and the new partnerships, and alliances that we have forged including the trilateral agreement, not as a response to any particular challenge or threat but merely a continuing development and evolution of the relationship that we have been fostering over a hundred years.

And I can only see that our two countries getting closer and working together, and in closer coordination so as to be able to provide continuing defense of international law  and international rule of–in the UNCLOS especially in the differing claims that we are having to deal with in South China Sea.

But thank you once again for this opportunity for us to consult with you and to see what it is more–what more it is that we can do in the future.

Thank you very much, Secretary Austin.

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