The US Senate appropriations committee has voted to nearly double foreign military financing assistance to the Philippines for fiscal year 2005, despite recent strains in bilateral relations following the pullout of Filipino troops from Iraq.

The US government has requested that the assistance be raised from 30 million US dollars to 55 million dollars, with emphasis on marine upgrade and counter terror requirements, the Philippine Stardaily reported on Monday.

The committee noted in a meeting report the interest of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to upgrade its coastal, air and marine capabilities, and asked the State and Defense Departments to consult with Manila on its future defense needs.

The committee also deliberated on the needs of the AFP, one of the most poorly equipped in the region in the light of its long-delayed modernization, to bolster its war against terror in a business-as-usual manner although the United States criticized the Philippines for its troops pullout from Iraq due to the July hostage crisis in Iraq.

"Whatever disagreements we may have in Iraq do not affect our military relationship," said Major General Delfin Lorenzana, defense attach at the Philippine embassy in Washington.

For the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2005, the US government has asked the US Congress for a total of 80 million dollars in military assistance for the Philippines, including 30 million dollars in foreign military financing assistance.

The total appropriations, up from 64.99 million dollars in 2004,also include 45 million dollars for defense reform, 3 million dollars for military educational training, and 2 million dollars for law enforcement.

The committee said it was alarmed at terrorist activity in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, and called for a coordinated strategy to undermine the ability of terrorists to gain a foothold in the region.

Relatedly, a multimillion-dollar aid package is also on the pipeline for the southern Philippine island of Mindanao as soon asa peace agreement is signed by Manila and the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is fighting for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines since 1978.

Earlier this month, suspected members of the MILF were arrested, preempting an alleged plan to bomb the US embassy in Manila.

But the MILF claimed the arrests were merely a smokescreen to deflect public attention from an ongoing probe on military corruption.

US President George W. Bush is considered a close ally of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's government, and in a presidential debate with his rival Sen. John Kerry, even mentioned the Philippines as one of the countries Washington is helping in the war on terror.

Source: Xinhua