PH mourns passing of ‘true friend’
THE Philippines, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), mourned the death of United States (US) Sen. John McCain who it described as a “true friend of the Philippines.”
“We deeply mourn the death of Sen. John McCain, a true friend of the Philippines and one of our champions in the United States Congress,” said Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano in a statement.
Cayetano at the same time extended the Filipino people’s deepest condolences to the family of the 81-year-old Republican legislator.
“We will remember Senator McCain for translating America’s commitment into action and for playing a vital role in keeping our alliance strong and capable to address current strategic challenges,” the DFA secretary said.
Cayetano said the late senator showed his humanitarian spirit and his lifelong dedication to the cause of peace and justice in his support of the Mindanao peace process.
Cayetano was among the last senior Philippine government officials to be received by McCain, then chairman of the Senate armed services committee.
The meeting took place in McCain’s office in Capitol Hill where Cayetano was joined by Permanent Representative to the United Nations Teodoro “Teddy Boy” T. Locsin, Jr. and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jose Luis Montales.
Discussed in that meeting were challenges confronting Manila and Washington and how the partnership could be further strengthened to address non-traditional security concerns, such as drug trafficking and violent extremism.
Cayetano said McCain even shared his family’s history and affinity with the Philippines and revealed that his grandfather served in the Philippines during the American Occupation and the Second World War.
McCain’s father, who became a Navy admiral, also saw action in the Philippines and was a recipient of our Legion of Honor.
“Senator McCain also told us about the time he spent in Subic as a young Navy aviator serving in Vietnam and his arrival at Clark Air Base after his release as a prisoner of war,” he added. JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA
The post PH mourns passing of ‘true friend’ appeared first on The Manila Times Online.