This is the transcript from the chat on U.S. Philippines Relations hosted by the Virtual Consulate Davao on January 27, 2005.

The following questions and answers are from the live chat. Participants included the Virtual Principal Officer (Consul), U.S. Embassy Manila Political and Public Affairs Officers, and visitors Angela Dickey and William Comley from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs (EAP).  Ms. Dickey is Director, Office of Maritime Southeast Asia and Mr. Comley is an EAP Political Desk Officer. 

ADMINISTRATOR: Good morning. Thank you for joining us in this chat session. The chat will start at 8 o’clock

CONSUL: Good morning and thank you for joining us. Our topic today is U.S.-Philippine relations, and joining us are Angela Dickey and William Comley, two officials from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs. We’re happy to take questions now.

USER ASKED: karl mann - Given the strain on U.S.-Philippine relations, and anti-American sentiment (apparent in the local print media), what additional precautions should American Citizens take?

ANSWER: Filipinos remain welcoming to Americans; in fact, public surveys show that Filipinos are more welcoming to Americans than to any other nationality. The ordinary precautions, outlined on our embassy website, are all the guidance an American Citizen should need.

USER ASKED: jime - Is there a lot of tension in Manila concerning the U.S. Marines being held there?

ANSWER: American government and private sector relations remain very good, and we have not seen any change in positive public opinion among ordinary Filipinos.

We think most people understand that the judicial proceedings are moving forward through the joint efforts of U.S. and Philippine authorities, just as they are supposed to do under the Visiting Forces Agreement.

USER ASKED: jcheryll - good morning, Can you give us an information what are the benefits between the U.S.-Philippine relations as far economic and political concerns?

ANSWER: There are many. 200,000 Filipinos travel to the US every year, and 4 million Filipinos and Filipino-Americans live there. In fact, 25% of all Filipinos have family in America. So our ties are not only historical, but ongoing and strong. The U.S. is the #1 investor in the Philippine economy, and the U.S. government provides $85 million in development assistance to the RP. U.S.-RP military relations are strong as well; the Philippines is one of our 11 major non-NATO allies and joint military exercises here contribute another $6-7 million to the country.

USER ASKED: fort - What is your assessment of the present relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines after the issue on the erring VFA members?

ANSWER: The U.S. and the RP have many ongoing, multi-faceted, and important issues that we face together, including counterterrorism, defense reform, economic reform, etc., and both our countries‘ commitments to these remain as strong as ever.

USER ASKED: What is the U.S. doing in the Philippines to fight terrorism in the South of the country.

ANSWER: U.S. military and Armed Forces of the RP train together and share information in support of Philippine counter-terrorism efforts. We have great cooperation among U.S. and Philippine law enforcement agencies. The Rewards for Justice Program has helped in the apprehension of several terrorists in the Philippines. US development assistance in the conflict-affected areas is helping consolidate our joint efforts and improve the lives of millions of Filipinos.

USER ASKED: fort - How is the U.S. Embassy taking all the protest rallies and the expressions of bad sentiments of some Filipinos against the Americans? Are there any measures the Embassy is doing to avoid these sentiments to aggravate?

ANSWER: The Philippines is a democracy and people have the right to express their views. We respect that right. The rallies have been relatively small and peaceful.

USER ASKED: karl mann - The opposition, in the newspaper, continues to call for the abolition of the VFA. Is that even a possibility? And if so, What effect would that have on the current case and the status of American troops currently on station here.

ANSWER: The U.S. believes that the Visiting Forces agreement is a mutually beneficial agreement that protects the national security interests of both countries. The VFA also strengthens our military to military relations and provides the framework to clarify the legal status of visiting U.S. service members.

USER ASKED: Doug - Hi, most Filipinos like Americans-there are just a minority that are swayed by the opinions of the few, the problem as I see it is not the sentiment of the people but the corruption of the government. What can the U.S. do to help Americans living here as far as visa, fees, goes seems that the "Lagay" system is rampant. Another question is: would it be possible to have a mail system that can by-pass the Philippine Post Office and go to the embassy for those who are living here?

ANSWER: We have a customer oriented American Citizen Services unit here at the Embassy. I encourage you to visit the Embassy’s main website or contact ACS for assistance with your stay here. They have a great deal of information for Americans living in the Philippines.

USER ASKED: fort - There are thousands and thousands of Filipinos applying for immigrant and non-immigrant visas. Is there an assurance from your end that these applicants won’t be affected by the present issues against the US government?

ANSWER: Our Consular services are focused on good customer service and fairness according to U.S. immigration law. Other issues in our very broad relationship do not affect that very important part of our work.

USER ASKED: Keith - It seems the opposition, MILF, NPA, etc, has free and direct daily access to the media. Does the Embassy give daily news reports highlighting positive events and positive relations between the two countries?

ANSWER: The U.S. is doing important work every day in the Philippines and you can learn more about that on our website. We also interact daily with the media to ensure our views are reflected in the press. Photos and articles about the many positive events and good relationship can be viewed on both the embassy and the Virtual Consulate Davao website. http://www.manila.usembassy.gov/ and www.usvirtualconsulatedavao.org.ph/

USER ASKED: cris - If ever the charter change in the Philippines would be imposed, would this affect our relationship with U.S.?

ANSWER:  The Philippines is a long-lived democracy. Charter change is an issue to be decided by the Philippine people and the Philippine democratic system. We hope and expect our partnership with the Philippines will remain strong.

USER ASKED:  - What’s going on with the Balikatan exercise? Will there be U.S. Troops in Mindanao?

ANSWER: Balikatan-06 is a Joint U.S.-Philippines military exercise that will help train thousands of U.S. and AFP troops in three locations in the RP, Feb 20- March 3. There will also be numerous humanitarian and civic projects during the exercise and around 200 U.S. service members will work on such projects in locations in Mindanao.

USER ASKED: jems - If ever the military coup in the Philippines will breakthrough, get worse, and lead to a civil war, how would U.S. extend their support to the government of the Philippines?

ANSWER: The U.S. strongly supports the Constitutional process and the rule of law in the Philippines and around the world.

USER ASKED: Doug - What can the Embassy do to highlight those "Humanitarian Projects" that the U.S. servicemen do? Seems it’s a well-kept secret that very few here know about. May I suggest newspaper articles in the local papers?

ANSWER: There are stories on the Humanitarian activities every few days in the press around the country. We also highlight such activities on our website. The truth is that many Filipinos are aware of these activities and the places were we have conducted these civil-military projects, the local citizens often request continuation of these projects.

CONSUL: Thank you for joining us today. You have contributed many great questions and comments to this chat. Our chat is now closed. Our next chat will take place on Feb. 8th and the topic will be Fiancée visas. Please check our website for more information. Have a good day.