US committed to helping PHL in security – Kerry. US Secretary of State John Kerry answers questions during a joint press conference with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario after their bilateral meeting in Pasay City on Tuesday, December 17. Kerry, in the country for a two-day visit, said the US is committed to helping the Philippines address its most pressing security challenges. Danny Pata
US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived before noon in Tacloban City, one of the areas hit hardest by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) last month.
Security was tight at the Tacloban City airport as Kerry and his aides alighted from the plane, radio dzBB reported.
Media representatives were kept at a distance and could not follow Kerry and his party, the report said.
Kerry and his party proceeded to the Department of Social Welfare and Development hub in Tacloban after arrival, state-run Philippine Information Agency reported.
The Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday said Kerry will oversee Washington’s ongoing relief efforts in Tacloban in the Visayas.
Kerry will also meet the victims of Yolanda as well as those involved in the relief effort, Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said.
Kerry arrived in the Philippines Tuesday and met with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario.
He also paid a courtesy call on President Benigno Aquino III in Malacañang. —KG, GMA News
