,,iii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #gfj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #h1 #bjbf,mr4 ,ricketts 7for himself and ,mr4 ,coons7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,recognizing the ,united ,states-,philippines alliance on the #hjth anniversary of diplomatic relations1 the #geth anniversary of the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty between the ,united ,states of ,america and the ,republic of the ,philippines1 and the #ajth anniversary of the landmark arbitral award upholding ,manila's sovereignty against escalating aggression and lawfare by the ,people's ,republic of ,china in the ,south ,china ,sea4 ,whereas the ,united ,states and the ,philippines have maintained diplomatic relations for #hj years1 which was founded on the basis of deeply interconnected strategic and economic interests and close bonds between the people of both countries2 ,whereas there are more than #d1jjj1jjj ,filipino-,americans living in the ,united ,states1 and approximately #cjj1jjj ,united ,states citizens permanently residing in the ,philippines1 including a significant population of retired ,united ,states military veterans2 ,whereas the ,united ,states-,philippines partnership was forged in blood1 when more than #bj1jjj ,americans and hundreds of thousands of ,filipinos were killed in the ,philippines campaigns during ,world ,war ,,ii2 ,whereas1 following the ,japanese invasion and occupation of the ,philippines between #aida and #aide1 the former ,united ,states commonwealth secured its official independence on ,july #d1 #aidf2 ,whereas the ,united ,states and the ,philippines signed an ,agreement ,concerning ,military ,bases in ,manila on ,march #ad1 #aidg2 ,whereas1 on ,august #cj1 #aiea1 the ,united ,states and the ,philippines signed the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty between the ,united ,states of ,america and the ,republic of the ,philippines 7referred to in this resolution as the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty71 which is the ,united ,states longest-standing mutual defense treaty in the ,indo-,pacific region2 ,whereas the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty clarifies the ,united ,states-,philippine collective intent-- 7#a7 to resolve international disputes peacefully2 7#b7 to undertake separate and joint development of the capacity to resist attack2 and 7#c7 to consult with each another whenever the territorial integrity1 political independence1 or security of the ,united ,states or the ,philippines is under threat of external armed attack in the ,pacific2 ,whereas the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty is the foundation of our security alliance and all other enabling defense agreements between the ,united ,states and the ,philippines1 including the ,enhanced ,defense ,cooperation ,agreement1 done at ,manila ,april #bh1 #bjad2 ,whereas the ,enhanced ,defense ,cooperation ,agreement allows for a strengthened ,united ,states military presence in the ,philippines-- 7#a7 to increase bilateral cooperation and interoperability2 and 7#b7 to provide training to the ,armed ,forces of the ,philippines1 with increased rotation of ,united ,states military personnel and assistance devoted to strengthening the territorial defense and humanitarian and maritime operations of the ,philippines2 ,whereas1 in ,february #bjbc1 the ,united ,states and the ,philippines committed to designating #d additional agreed locations under the ,enhanced ,defense ,cooperation ,agreement1 increasing the total number of such locations from #e to #i2 ,whereas these agreed locations-- 7#a7 have strategic value for the ,united ,states and the ,philippines2 7#b7 increase confidence in the bilateral alliance2 and 7#c7 provide real opportunities for operational cooperation to advance shared security priorities2 ,whereas the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty serves as a deterrent against the increasing territorial aggression by the ,people's ,republic of ,china in the ,south ,china ,sea2 ,whereas1 in #bjji1 the ,people's ,republic of ,china began unlawfully extending its territorial and sovereignty claims in the ,south ,china ,sea under its nine-dash line construct1 which violates the territorial rights and internationally recognized exclusive economic zones of the ,philippines1 ,brunei1 ,malaysia1 and ,vietnam2 ,whereas1 in ,june #bjab1 the ,people's ,republic of ,china seized de facto control of ,scarborough ,shoal2 ,whereas1 since #bjad1 the ,people's ,republic of ,china has substantially expanded its ability to monitor and project power throughout the ,south ,china ,sea via the construction of militarized artificial islands2 ,whereas1 on ,september #be1 #bjae1 ,president of the ,people's ,republic of ,china ,xi ,jinping stated during a ,white ,house press conference that ,china does not intend to pursue militarization of the ,spratly ,islands and ,china's outposts would not target or impact any country2 ,whereas1 on ,july #ab1 #bjaf1 the arbitral tribunal constituted under ,annex ,,vii to the ,united ,nations ,convention on the ,law of the ,sea unanimously decided to invalidate the ,people's ,republic of ,china's claim to nearly #ij percent of the ,south ,china ,sea1 including areas determined by the tribunal to be part of the ,philippines' exclusive economic zone and continental shelf2 ,whereas1 despite the decision being final and legally binding1 the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 which refused to participate in the arbitration1 has continued to reject and further violate the decision2 ,whereas the ,people's ,republic of ,china has employed a variety of assertive and aggressive tactics against the ,philippines1 including through research vessels1 state-subsidized ,people's ,armed ,forces ,maritime ,militia swarming fleets1 the ,china ,coast ,guard1 and the ,people's ,liberation ,army ,navy vessels1 to coerce and enforce its arbitrary and unlawful territorial claims in the ,south ,china ,sea1 such as by ramming1 shadowing1 blocking1 encircling1 firing water cannons at1 and using military-grade lasers against ,philippine civilian ships and military vessels2 ,whereas the ,people's ,republic of ,china has repeatedly denied the ,philippines from lawfully delivering humanitarian supplies to members of the ,armed ,forces of the ,philippines stationed at the ,,brp ,sierra ,madre at ,second ,thomas ,shoal2 ,whereas1 in ,april #bjbd1 the ,united ,states1 ,japan1 and the ,philippines launched the ,luzon ,economic ,corridor to catalyze mutual economic growth1 create jobs1 strengthen connectivity1 and improve transport and logistics1 energy1 and digital infrastructure along the corridor connecting ,subic ,bay1 ,clark1 ,manila1 and ,batangas2 ,whereas1 on ,june #ag1 #bjbd1 coast guard sailors from the ,people's ,republic of ,china brandished knives and other weapons in a clash with ,philippine naval vessels attempting to resupply marines on ,second ,thomas ,shoal1 resulting in a severe injury to a member of the ,armed ,forces of the ,philippines2 ,whereas1 in ,march #bjbe1 ,secretary of ,defense ,pete ,hegseth1 while visiting the ,philippines during his first trip to an ,indo-,pacific partner1 committed-- 7#a7 to deploy additional advanced military capabilities to the ,philippines2 7#b7 to conduct bilateral training between both nations for high-end operations2 7#c7 to prioritize bilateral defense industrial cooperation2 and 7#d7 to launch a bilateral cyber campaign2 ,whereas1 in ,april #bjbe1 the ,chinese ,coast ,guard temporarily deployed on ,sandy ,cay1 an unoccupied reef located #b miles from ,manila's largest outpost in the ,south ,china ,sea1 and placed a ,chinese flag1 indicating an intention to annex1 expand1 and possibly militarize the feature2 ,whereas1 in ,may #bjbe1 the ,united ,states and the ,philippines conducted ,exercise ,balikatan #bjbe1 which included participation by more than #ad1jjj ,american1 ,filipino1 ,australian1 and ,japanese service members and the first deployment of the ,navy-,marine ,expeditionary ,ship ,interdiction ,system 7,,nmesis72 ,whereas1 on ,august #aa1 #bjbe1 a ,china ,coast ,guard vessel collided with another ,people's ,republic of ,china vessel while aggressively swarming a ,philippine ,coast ,guard vessel that was conducting a humanitarian mission within the ,philippines' exclusive economic zone2 ,whereas1 in ,october #bjbe1 ,china ,coast ,guard vessels intercepted a ,philippine maritime patrol boat near ,thitu ,island1 a major civilian-inhabited feature held by ,manila2 ,whereas1 in ,december #bjbe1 ,china ,coast ,guard ships fired water cannons at ,filipino fishermen near the disputed ,sabina ,shoal1 injuring #c people and causing significant damage to #b fishing vessels2 ,whereas1 in ,march #bjbf1 a ,people's ,liberation ,army ,navy vessel locked fire control radar on a ,philippine ,navy vessel conducting a sovereignty patrol near ,sabina ,shoal2 ,whereas1 in ,april #bjbf1 the ,philippine ,coast ,guard reported that ,chinese military forces fired tactical illumination flares directly into the flight paths of passing ,philippine maritime surveillance aircraft1 which severely threatened flight safety2 ,whereas1 in ,april #bjbf1 ,china deployed a massive #ceb-meter floating barrier across the mouth of ,scarborough ,shoal's lagoon1 completely severing access for ,filipino fishermen2 ,whereas1 in ,april #bjbf1 the ,united ,states and the ,philippines announced plans to establish a #d1jjj-;acre ,economic ,security ,zone within the ,luzon ,economic ,corridor under the ,pax ,silica initiative2 ,whereas1 in ,may #bjbf1 the ,luzon ,economic ,corridor steering committee formally expanded to include #h additional global partners1 namely ,australia1 ,canada1 ,denmark1 ,france1 ,italy1 ,south ,korea1 ,sweden1 and the ,united ,kingdom1 positioning the corridor as a multi-billion-dollar multilateral alternative to the ,people's ,republic of ,china's predatory infrastructure deals2 ,whereas1 in ,may #bjbf1 the ,united ,states and the ,philippines hosted the largest ,exercise ,balikatan1 which included notable developments1 such as-- 7#a7 participation of #ag1jjj troops1 including troops from ,japan1 ,australia1 ,canada1 ,france1 and ,new ,zealand2 7#b7 the deployment of ,japanese combat troops on ,philippines soil2 7#c7 the first deployment of ,japan's ,type-#hh surface-to-ship missile outside of ,japan2 and 7#d7 the real-time sharing of command-and-control data among allies to jointly defend against maritime aggression2 ,whereas1 in ,may #bjbf1 a ,united ,states ,coast ,guard vessel joined ,philippine ,navy and ,coast ,guard vessels for a joint patrol sailing between #ce and #dj nautical miles from the contested ,scarborough ,shoal2 ,whereas1 in ,may #bjbf1 commercial satellite imagery revealed that the ,people's ,republic of ,china placed a possible structure at ,scarborough ,shoal2 ,whereas ,july #d1 #bjbf marks the #hjth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the ,united ,states and the ,philippines2 ,whereas ,july #ab1 #bjbf marks the #ajth anniversary of an international arbitral tribunal's ruling overwhelmingly in favor of the ,philippines in its dispute with the ,people's ,republic of ,china regarding the ,south ,china ,sea2 and ,whereas ,august #cj1 #bjbf marks the #geth anniversary of the signing of the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty between the ,united ,states and the ,philippines3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 celebrates the #hjth anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the ,united ,states and the ,philippines2 7#b7 celebrates the #geth anniversary of the signing of the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty between the ,united ,states of ,america and the ,philippines and the longstanding alliance between our #b nations2 7#c7 condemns the ,people's ,republic of ,china's refusal to accept the #bjaf ,south ,china ,sea ,arbitral ,ruling that rejects its illegal and expansive territorial claims in the ,south ,china ,sea2 7#d7 appreciates the trust of the ,filipino people in our bilateral alliance and their support for increased defense cooperation and ,united ,states military presence in the ,philippines2 7#e7 supports the ,united ,states-,philippines alliance's expanding strategic focus on economic and supply chain security through the ,luzon ,economic ,corridor1 ,pax ,silica1 and other measures to strengthen our partnership on critical minerals1 advanced manufacturing1 emerging technologies1 energy1 transport1 and logistics2 7#f7 acknowledges the determination of the people and the ,armed ,forces of the ,philippines to resist coercion by the ,people's ,republic of ,china2 7#g7 condemns the ,people's ,republic of ,china's unprovoked aggression and political lawfare in the ,south ,china ,sea to enforce its unlawful territorial and sovereignty claims2 7#h7 rejects the ,people's ,republic of ,china's coercive and destabilizing plans to establish a so-called national nature reserve at ,scarborough ,reef2 7#i7 reaffirms that ,article ,,iv of the ,mutual ,defense ,treaty extends to armed attacks on the ,armed ,forces1 public vessels1 or aircraft of the ,philippines1 including the ,philippine ,coast ,guard1 anywhere in the ,south ,china ,sea2 7#aj7 considers aggression by the ,people's ,republic of ,china in the ,philippines' internationally recognized exclusive economic zone to be a direct assault on its sovereignty and territorial integrity2 7#aa7 urges the ,president to continue to take appropriate and necessary actions in response to escalatory behavior of the ,people's ,republic of ,china in order to restore deterrence and to help the ,philippines defend itself2 7#ab7 supports the unwavering commitment of the ,united ,states to deepening security cooperation with the ,philippines1 including advancing ,philippine defense modernization and enhancing interoperability through military exercises1 training1 joint patrols1 and increased information sharing2 7#ac7 supports other nations growing their political and security partnerships with the ,philippines2 7#ad7 commits to advance cooperation among the ,united ,states1 the ,philippines1 ,japan1 ,australia1 ,south ,korea1 and other partners2 and 7#ae7 reaffirms the commitment of the ,united ,states to the right to freedom of navigation and overflight1 respecting maritime rights under international law1 and ensuring a free and open ,indo-,pacific4