US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be in Manila today. She is expected to talk about solidifying the Filipino American ties. Clinton will visit the Philippines before her scheduled trip to Singapore for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. The Philippines is the only other Southeast Asian country that she will visit. According to Clinton, her Manila aims to show her solidarity with Filipinos, especially those who were affected by the recent typhoons “Ondoy” (Ketsana), “Pepeng” (Parma), “Ramil” (Lupit) and “Santi” (Mirinae). US Ambassador Kristie Kenney said that the country was selected by Clinton because “The Philippines is our longest friend.”

With Clinton's visit, talks on the Visiting Forces Agreement was revived. But Kenney reiterated that Clinton's agenda in the Philippines visit is to oversee the “whole flood-typhoon relief effort here. In fact, she says that's really why she wants to come, to show her solidarity with the Filipino people.” Kenny clarified that it might not be possible that Clinton will get into the details of the VFA.

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