US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the first senior US official who visited the Philippines after President Barack Obama took office arrived in Manila last Jun 01 on board a B747. Ground Handling and other airport arrangements was provided by Ages Aviation Center, Inc.
During the visit of Secretary Gates, he renewed the commitment of the Obama Administration to help flight terrorism and extremism. He said “Together, we will not relent until this threat has been eliminated,” referring to the 340-member Abu Sayyaf group, included in Washington’s list of foreign terrorist organizations. “It is clear that the Philippines is taking on a larger role on the world stage and as it does, this relationship, one of our oldest alliance partnership in Asia, is one that I believe that will endure and deepen in the years to come,” Gates said, adding that the US-Philippines relation need to evolve into a broader, strategic one.
