US defense chief visiting Phl to advance security goals

United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to visit the Philippines on March 28-29, the first stop in his first trip to Asia, for talks that will include increasing deterrence against Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said on Friday.

- MICHAEL PUNONGBAYAN

Hegseth will meet President Marcos and his Philippine counterpart Gilbert Teodoro Jr.

Talks will touch on increasingly assertive actions by Beijing in the South China Sea and "more significant support" for Philippine security forces by the Trump administration, Romualdez said.

In the US, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth will visit Hawaii to meet civilian and military leaders in the Indo-Pacific Command, then tour US military facilities in Guam and receive briefings on capabilities before flying to the Philippines and Japan.