US Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to the Philippines shows the importance of their alliance with the country, a defense analyst said Monday.

In an interview with dzBB, Renato de Castro of the De La Salle Department of International Studies, said Harris was sent to the country so that the US could show that the Philippines is a valuable ally.

“It shows the importance of our alliance...The APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit just finished. US President Joe Biden went to Vietnam but he also wants to show how important the Philippines is to them. So I think that’s why they sent Vice President Harris. To show that even if he couldn’t go here, the White House is showing that the Philippines is important because it is an ally of America, unlike Vietnam, although he is there right now,” said De Castro.

De Castro said that Harris scheduled visit to Palawan shows America’s support to the Philippines to uphold its rights over its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone in parts of the South China Sea.

“Vice President Harris is showing them that this is a red line. This is where China’s military expansion should be stopped,” De Castro said.

The Philippines, China, Taiwan, and several other Asian countries are claiming parts of the South China Sea.

De Castro said Harris planned trip to Palawan also shows that the US is willing to provide financial support for the construction of Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites.

“We have (an EDCA) site in Palawan and there could be additional sites later on. So this shows that America is willing to fund EDCA sites, an agreement we signed in 2014,” De Castro said.

“These are not bases. Those are of course facilities inside AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) camps that could be used by both countries?the Philippines and of course, the United States. It’s for training and humanitarian assistance and risk reduction and just in case, for access arrangements. In case there will be tensions in the Korean peninsula, South China Sea and of course, Taiwan,” said De Castro.

Harris' visit also shows that there will be a "revitalizing" of the relationship between the two countries, De Castro said.

De Castro said Marcos visiting other countries shows that he is a "very active foreign policy president". Jaspearl Tan/DMS