Cayetano Pays Tribute To McCain: A True Friend And Champion Of PH

26 August 2018 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano today paid tribute to United States Sen. John McCain, saying the Philippines lost a true friend and champion with his passing.

“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,” Secretary Cayetano said in a statement released by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“The Filipino people extend their deepest condolences to Senator McCain's family and to the people of the United States of America,” the Secretary said shortly after he was informed that the 81-year-old Republican legislator had passed away.

“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,” Secretary Cayetano said.

“Senator McCain's support for the Mindanao peace process also exemplified his humanitarian spirit and his lifelong dedication to the cause of peace and justice,” said the Secretary who was the last senior Philippine government official to be received by the legislator who was then the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The Secretary recalled how the Arizona senator took time off his busy schedule to receive him and his delegation that included Permanent Representative to the United Nations Teodoro T. Locsin, Jr. and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jose Luis G. Montales at his Capitol Hill offices in September.

In that meeting, the Secretary and Senator McCain discussed the challenges confronting Manila and Washington and how the partnership can be further strengthened to address non-traditional security concerns, such as drug trafficking and violent extremism.

The Secretary also said that during the meeting, Senator McCain shared with him and the other members of his delegation his family’s history and affinity with the Philippines.

“Senator McCain told us his grandfather served in the Philippines during the American Occupation and the Second World War while his father, who became a Navy admiral, also saw action in the Philippines and was a recipient of our Legion of Honor,” Secretary Cayetano said.

“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,” the Secretary added.

The Secretary also recalled his invitation for the senator to make another trip to the Philippines, which he last visited in 2015 as part of a congressional delegation. END