Manila: The Philippine Navy sees no "marked dip" in support from allies, including the United States, despite the latest Middle East conflict, a senior official said Tuesday. "There's been no marked observed downscale in the support of our treaty ally or even other like-minded nations when it comes to West Philippine Sea (WPS) activities, especially MMCAs (multilateral maritime cooperative activity)," Navy spokesperson for the WPS Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said at a briefing.

According to Philippines News Agency, Trinidad made the remark when asked if US operations in the Middle East would affect support in the WPS. He cited the 15th MMCA held February 20 to 26 with the Philippine, Japanese, and US naval and air forces as proof that American support remains steady. "The MMCA recently conducted is a classic example of that. So there's been no marked dip in the support of our treaty ally," Trinidad said.

He added that with or without allies, the Armed Forces of the Philippines will continue fulfilling its WPS mandate. Trinidad added that the Middle East conflict, which he described as regional, is unlikely to directly affect the Philippines. "What is happening in the Middle East is a regional conflict. We are not a party to the conflict," he said.

Trinidad also said he does not expect the conflict to affect this year's Balikatan exercises from April to May. "We don't expect any changes unless there would be announcements made," he said.